Looking Down From Cerulean Skies
by MoogleTerra
Summary: FF6 Novelization of FFVI. The Gestahlian Empire has been slowly spreading its influence north, and raided the coal mining city, Narshe. With the help of a young woman named Terra, and the kingdom of Figaro, the Returners may have a way of rebelling.
1. The Bird Who Pilots Magitek Armor

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**The Bird Who Pilots Magitek Armor**

Narshe, a sleepy coal mining town tucked into the mountains above the Figaroan kingdom, was preparing for the oncoming night ahead. Men wrapped themselves up in their uniforms, with furs and wool scarves draped around their heads to keep in the warmth. Shopkeepers struck matches to light their gas lamps outside their shops, pulled their shutters to, and locked up for the night. Snow blew down from the mountains in a constant gust, sweeping over the buildings, and swirling in the streets. The citizens of Narshe had grown accustomed to the ever present chill and frost, and those new quickly adapted for the temperatures dropped drastically at night to well below freezing.

"Gods dammit! Why did we have to go somewhere so damn cold?"

"We were ordered to invade, Wedge, deal with it. The Emperor would be furious if we disobeyed."

"I know that sir, but why couldn't that frozen esper have been dug up in a warm place? Like Jidoor?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because frozen things like the cold? And Jidoor doesn't even have a coal mine."

"Whatever. So we're almost at Narshe, now what?" Wedge asked, shivering in his uniform, wishing the weapons developers could have installed heaters in the Magitek Armor Units.

"We go into the mines beyond the town and take the frozen creature," Vicks pushed his glasses up on his nose with a finger as he tried to ignore the chilly air the best he could.

On their ledge, they could see Narshe rather well. The gas lights looked like stars twinkling in the night, as if the sky was in front of their eyes instead of above them. He looked back at the woman accompanying them; with her blank stare she almost looked dead. A surge of unease ricocheted through his spine as her eyes glanced at him for a split second.

"How big is it? I hope we can carry it back to the ship, sir" Wedge asked, scratching his dark hair under his helmet, squinting at the town ahead.

"Well, it can't be too big, I mean if it was too large then the Emperor would have sent a crane or something." Vicks patted his control panel with a sly grin, "Magitek Armor can lift a lot though, so we should be fine."

"Alright, alright! Let's get going," Wedge pulled ahead with a lurch, wanting to get back to the ship quickly so he could feel his toes again.

The woman followed him wordlessly, moving her Armor with a certain grace.

Vicks looked at the sky, at the dark clouds coming in from the mountains, "You can't even see the moon for the storm clouds."

Up ahead, Wedge was trying to start a conversation with the young woman.

"So, why are you coming with us?" he asked, rubbing his hands together to create friction while he steered his Magitek Armor with his knee.

"I was ordered to," she replied in a monotonous voice, not even glancing over at him.

"Did they think that this mission would be dangerous?"

Silence.

"Is that a yes?"

"No."

"So the mission is not dangerous?"

Silence.

"Okay, well, what's that thing on your head?" he asked, pointing at the flecked jewels that caught the fading light from between locks of green hair.

"What do you mean?"

Vicks moved next to Wedge, "That's a slave crown. I know that you're a lower rung on the ladder, but I thought you'd know."

"A what?" Wedge looked confused.

"A slave crown. It renders the wearer thoughtless, and makes them follow any orders given. I don't know much more than that, but that's what General Kefka said. She will follow any of our orders."

"Oh, but if she is the Imperial Witch, then why can't she fight it?"

"She can't, you idiot! That's the point of the slave crown, to have complete control over a person. Can you imagine what would happen if she didn't have that thing on her? She could torch the entire Empire and kill everybody."

Wedge glanced sideways at the witch, "Are you serious? She has that kind of power?"

Vicks let out a sigh, "Yes, that's why the Emperor needs to keep her under control. So she won't blow us all to bits."

The rumors had to be true if the Emperor had put a restraint on a young woman such as herself. It was inhumane, but had to be done, or else she would lose control. Or so they had been told.

"We'll be alright as long as the crown remains on her head. As long as she doesn't regain her free will, we will all live. That's what Kefka said, and why would he lie about such a serious thing?"

A look up let Vicks see the witch's form as she led them along. Her green hair that curled like a lamb's wool, her pale skin that hinted at how little sunlight she had seen, now rosy from the cold. It made Vicks cringe when he noticed how her thin frame shivered.  
Despite her being a dangerous Imperial Witch with no spirit in her eyes, she was a pretty girl. A girl as young as she was should not have to endure that situation, not one who should be courting young men and having fun.

The group neared the gates of Narshe finally, prepared for barging into the peaceful town in the middle of the night.

A building sat off to the left side of the gates, with a man shrouded in scarves and furs leaning against the window pane. He snapped his head up at the approaching sound of heavy metal footfalls, and scrambled inside. When the door slammed shut, Wedge could make out what the sign hanging above the door said.

"The library is outside of the town? Weird," he commented, scrunching his eyebrows together in thought.

Narshe guards stood at attention just inside the city line, all gaping at the oncoming small division of Magitek Armor. One guard in a darker uniform stepped forwards, shouting, "What in goddess's name are Imperial troops doing here?"

Vicks told Wedge and the witch to remain silent, not say a word to anybody they came across, just kill those who interfered. Wedge nodded, and pressed forwards, earning a bullet in the hull of his armor. It pinged off, not even making a dent as the soldier rushed the guards.

"Stop this at once!"

"Narshe is neutral, you pigs!"

"Leave us be!"

The Narshe men swung their spears and shot their guns, trying with all of their might to hold off the Imperial soldier who had pulled ahead of his comrades. None of their attacks did much damage, and upon realizing this they were being gunned down by a fire beam.

The tang of burning flesh filled the air, making Vicks wince as he reached the bloody smears on the cobblestones. Little bits of muscle, sinew, gore, and other unpleasant things were scattered across the street entrance from where the guards were blasted.

The echo of a scream lingered in the frigid night air, sending chills dancing up and down their spines. Somehow, no matter how long one had been in the military, the sound of death was still unnerving in its finality.

Going north through the streets of Narshe, the party encountered more guards, who all protested to their presence, all trying to fight for their town. All dying painfully, equally. Vicks and Wedge watched as their companion in arms became the killing machine that Kefka had called her. She cast spell after spell, never ceasing in her assault. She fired her tek missiles, lay waste to lives with her charged up energy beams, and crushed bodies underneath her Magitek Armor with the leg like structures that allowed them to move about.  
Luckily for the town, she only attacked those who attacked her, or else she could have easily leveled the place.

Voices of the men who had died haunted Vicks and Wedge's minds, humming low and eventually started sounding like white noise coming from a malfunctioning radio.

_"Not even Narshe is safe anymore!"_

_"Please! Stop this! We haven't done a thing to the Empire!"_

_"You Imperial scum! We will not end up like Tzen!"_

_"The Empire is full of monsters! Don't taint us with your filth!"_

They reached the mines at long last, and found only one opening at the end of a long series of wooden steps littered with mining tools. Flurries of snow rushed inside the cavern from the strong winds, and disappeared into the darkness. What with the abandoned mining materials, rusty hooks knocked crooked that once held pick axes and other tools, and torches long blown out, the mine looked all the more menacing.

Wedge swallowed nervously, gazing into the depths, and said, "Sir, do you think that this is the mine?"

"I'm not sure, Wedge, but it's our only option it looks like. Our informant told us the creature was found in a new mine shaft. Do you see any other openings around here? I don't."

"Maybe we should have the witch lead us inside, she might know where to go better than we do," Wedge let out a shudder, his teeth clattering together from the chill.

"Alright, she'll be put on lead," Vicks made a motion forwards with his hand to the woman, who promptly pulled ahead of the men, waiting for another signal.

"Okay, let's get this over with!" Wedge tried sounding enthusiastic, and followed the mint haired sorceress inside.

Vicks felt uneasy in his stomach, his heart beat quickened, as if his body knew something he did not. He chalked it up to anxiety of the unknown, and punched a few buttons on his control panel, making his armor stomp inside the cavern, with snowflakes sweeping in after him in a frenzied swirl of ice.

"Dammit! The torches are out! Anybody have a light?" Wedge asked examining a burnt out torch while fingering his empty pockets as if a match would magically appear. Vicks shook his head after checking his pouches and the storage box near his feet, only finding medical supplies and some rations. They both looked to the sea foam haired witch who had been staring blankly at them, awaiting more commands.

"Do you think you could cast a little spell on this?" Wedge asked, holding out the resinous wood for her to reach so she could set fire to it. She blinked as if processing the request, and held her left hand out to touch it. Then, a flame appeared in her palm, brilliantly orange and crackling, and caught the wood. As soon as the torch had a nice blaze burning, her spell went out with a little puff of smoke.  
Wedge smiled at her before he started lighting the torches hanging from old stands on the rock walls, watching the cavern gradually start growing brighter with flickering warm light. Shadows appeared, bobbing, and flitting across the rock flooring, casting strange and obscure shapes throughout the mineshaft.

Now that the small group could see where they were treading, the girl led them through a few short caves that were so narrow that they had to pass through in single file. Rats skittered across the ground, escaping the metallic footfalls and hiding themselves inside little nooks and crannies to chatter at the odd trespassers who were disturbing their peaceful home.

At the end of a long passage, there was a wooden gate barricading the next section of the mine. On the barricade were many complicated locks and gadgets to prevent intruders from getting at the frozen being.

"This must be where they're storing the creature," Vicks commented, inspecting the barrier.

"Yeah, I've got an idea. You two move back a few yards!" Wedge said with a grin of his face. His companions did as he instructed, and he moved back away from the gate a bit, then rushed it, bashing the wooden planks to splinters from the force.

"Nice work, soldier," Vicks beamed, coming to stand beside his comrade.

"No problem! Like a measly little fence could keep us out."

As the soldiers were going inside the next area, a Narshe guard dashed out from behind a stone pillar roughly cut out of the bedrock.

"Stop right there! You aren't getting the esper that easily!" he yelled, holding a lance and shield in his hands.

"Move outta the way, or we'll go through you!" Wedge replied, smiling again.

The guard whipped a whistle out of his scarf and blew it. The piercing sound echoed shrilly.  
Then, an enormous pale yellow snail with mean red eyes at the top of his eye stalks slithered its way towards them at a pace that was much faster than common snails.

"Whelk! Defend the esper! Defend Narshe's pride!" the guard shouted, then ran out of the passage to get out of the way, and possibly alert the town elder of having to use their last defense.

"Shit! The bugger ran off!" Vicks cursed, realizing that they may have even more guardsmen after them.

"I think we have something more important to worry about now!" Wedge shouted, pushing buttons on his control panel furiously.

The overgrown snail roared, eyes glowering more and more as it continued to slime its way closer.

"What's with this thing anyway? A giant snail? What will towns use next to protect them? Caterpillars?"

"This is the monster Kefka and Leo briefed us about, remember?" Vicks yelled over the bellowing creature.

Wedge shot a fire beam at the monster, "A creature that eats lightning, right?"

"Yeah! And it stores the energy in its shell, so don't hit that part, alright guys?"

The Imperial Witch fired a tek projectile at the snail in response, and Wedge gave a quick nod, before shooting another fire beam at it. The Whelk slammed itself into Vick's Magitek Armor, almost hurling the machine over backwards. As Vicks righted himself, he was astounded at how fluidly the magic user could maneuver her armor unit. She had the elegance of a bird in flight.

The woman shot missiles over and over at the snail, never letting up, and finally with one more energy beam, the creature erupted all over the place. Yellow ooze splashed on to their machines, and dripped from the walls with pieces of shell skewed about.

"Ugh! Gross! Look at this!" Wedge cried, trying to fling some goo off of his arm.

"Forget that, you can get a bath back on the ship. Let's get the esper and get out of here," Vicks said, going past the despairing man, ignoring the fact that pungent snail slime was stuck in his hair and face.

By the time they reached the shard, they saw that their mint haired comrade was already there, standing idly in front of the ice, staring intently at the chilling creature.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Vicks asked, looking first at the woman, then up at the being. It had the shape of a large tropical bird, whose feathers were long, silky, and colorful. Its eyes were black, and unmoving, but a look of terror was filling its expression, as if it had tried to escape, fleeing from something terrible in flight, but was caught in ice.  
It was like a snapshot of the past, an old fossil drug up from the planet's crust, the emotion in its expression clear and crystalline.  
Wedge came up on the other side of the woman, now all three were looking up at the bird. The witch got out of her armor, and stepped closer, as if she was drawn to it.

"What are you doing?" Vicks asked again, but received nothing in response. The strange feeling inside of him grew, consuming his thoughts, and making fear rise up in his throat.

"Hey! You know something, don't you?" Wedge asked, trying to grab the girl to keep her from the esper.

She started glowing, and when they looked closer, they saw that the creature glowed in time with her, flashing a bright blue light that resembled lightning.  
As her fingers touched the ice, a spark of lightning fluttered out of the creature and into her head, causing her to emit a pained moan. She did not fall, instead she wrapped her arms around what she could of the ice, and pressed herself against it.

Then, lightning welled up again, and flashed into Wedge, blinking him out of existence.

"Wedge? Where did you go? What's happening?" Vicks screamed, clutching his head tightly, his heart beating frantically. Another bolt of lightning came out, and came at him faster than he could even think to move.

_"Some people are born to die."_

_"..."_

_"Child, it seems that something is preventing you to speak to me properly. But that is alright. I shall see you again...soon. I promise."_

She looked up at the esper's eyes, and saw that they were looking back, blinking, and speaking to her.

_"You're too weak for me now, but you will return to me soon. You're very special."_

Another bolt of electricity shot out of the ice shard and struck her between her cerulean eyes, hitting the slave crown, and then destroying her Magitek armor.

The bolt flitted up and down her body, knocking her back and on to the frigid ground below the esper.  
Her mind blanked out, body convulsing slightly, her eyes closed painfully, and for the first time in ages, she dreamed.

* * *

**A/N: So my beta reader and I went through this first chapter to revise some things. Hopefully, it is much better and not so wordy. Thanks for reading!  
**


	2. Awakening

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Awakening**

Arvis had much to do while the townspeople were too busy making a fuss over the very recent Imperial invasion. What they had not noticed was that the soldiers on their massive machines had not left yet. There was only one way to leave the mines, and nobody had seen them come back through town. So Arvis put on his heavy coat and scarf, and set off to the mines, slipping past everybody in the square without being noticed. He followed the carved out path with the many artificial steps and the support beams jutting out of other mined out caverns, and found that the large footsteps left by the Magitek Armor in the snow went into the newest mineshaft.

He had not been to see the oddity the miners had unearthed because they cut off access to the public, so he was a little excited to finally see the beast.

The mine was dimly lit by a few torches that were most likely lit by the soldiers. Tools lay abandoned on the cave floor, making Arvis have to pick his way along. He continued deeper into the mineshaft, avoiding the rats the best he could, and came to what was once a wooden gate. Splintered wood lay on the ground. It was becoming harder for the man to see, but he heard the wood crunch under his boots. Farther along, he felt his feet step in some sort of squishy substance.

"What on earth?" he wondered out loud to himself, squinting at the ground. He could barely make out slime left by something.

_Yuck._

Cringing, he looked ahead, hoping to see a sign of life. Instead, he saw the esper encased in ice. It glowed softly, putting out a little light to see by.

Arvis could not draw his eyes away from the being as he approached. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before, let alone anything he could imagine. It was drawing him in, telling something inside him to come closer.

_Look down._

He did, and saw a girl with a strange hair color shivering and unconscious on the ground just one step away.

"Oh! I almost stepped on you! Oh dear," he said, flustered from the strangeness of the situation. Without thinking, Arvis picked up the young woman, spotted a bag that looked like it belonged to her a few feet away, and with a last long look at the frozen esper, he hurried back to his house.

It was night still, which allowed Arvis to hide under the cover of darkness while the town square was still in a tizzy with activity. Everybody was trying to find the bodies of the guards that fell, and were making arrangements for their funerals.

Arvis reached his home after going up the slightly frozen over steps carefully. Inside, he stamped his feet on the mat and carried the girl to his bedroom.

He laid her down on the mattress gently, being careful not to wake her with a start, and sat her bag on the floor near the bed.

"Maybe some tea could be in order now," he sighed, pulling her heeled boots off and lining them up on the rug.

"How extraordinary it is that you have green hair!" he chuckled, astonished, wondering if it was dyed.

The girl did not let out a single noise of protest as he tucked her in, wrapped shawls over the blankets for extra warmth, and gave her a spare pillow over her feet for the added comfort. Her body shivered for a few minutes before it finally relaxed, and the redness of her nose and cheeks diminished soon. Her head drooped over on its side on the feather pillows, and something caught Arvis's eye.

It was shiny, with jewels that smoldered in the light the candle near the bed gave off.

"What's this?" he touched the circlet tenderly, as if afraid he would break it.

"This cannot be comfortable to wear in bed," he said to the girl, deciding to take it off for her. He removed the thing easily enough, and set it on the table next to the candlesticks.

Something in his mind clicked; he knew what the circlet was. A sickening feeling washed over him upon realizing what the circlet was, and he swore under his breath.

A groan came from her mouth then, along with a grimace as if she were in pain. Arvis touched her forehead, worried that she may have a cold, and found her burning up.

"A fever! Oh dear. I must go into town to fetch some ingredients for stew. My mother's old recipe always does the trick. Hold on, child, I'll return soon!" Arvis gave her a worried look before hurrying back into town. He hoped that nobody would go to his house while he was gone, so he locked his door once he was outside just in case.

The girl remained in bed, occasionally groaning or turning as she slept. She dreamed of a shiny and clean palace where she was treated with civility, and of a man with a blond ponytail and a wicked grin.

The town square was finally settling down when Arvis arrived. He asked what had happened and was met with many variations of the story.

"We ticked off the Empire, and now they're going to destroy us all!" one woman cried, her voice wavering with hysteria. Her husband was one of the guards who fell.

"They want the frozen thing we found in the mines!"

"Yeah! The Asper!" an old man exclaimed.

"That doesn't sound right. I think it's called an 'esper.'"

"Anyway, I bet they want the esper to join forces with them so they can destroy everything! The world will become like Maranda and Albrook," a man explained, seeming rather pleased with himself for figuring out what he thought was the truth.

Arvis left the square to find the general store, finding himself wondering what the motives behind the Imperial attack could be.

A man with a very important letter in his coat pocket hiked up the steep gravel path that led to Narshe. He saw curious tracks in the snow that set him on edge. If the rumors were true, he might be too late...

The thought made him press on with vigor as he went farther up. He hoped that once things were straightened out, he could stop by the pub and have a glass of ale. But that little hope seemed a bit far off on the horizon for the man.

"Maybe Arvis could let me have a cup of tea when I arrive..."

The girl woke up to the smell of spices, and to a high pitched yelp that came from the other side of the house.

_"The house? Wait, where am I?"_ she thought, squinting her eyes as they adjusted to the light. A candelabrum blazed on the end table next to her, along with a couple of oil lamps lit here and there around the room. She tried to sit up to get a better look at where she was, but pain seared in her head.

"Oww..." she groaned, lying back in the soft pillows. Despite her massive headache, she was glad to wake up in a warm, cozy bed. Her quiet, yet confused state was interrupted by a man in his late fifties opening the door across from her.

He was wrapping a cloth around his hand that he seemed to have burned. He looked at her, stopping mid wrap, "You're finally awake!"

"Erm..."

"Oh, just stay in bed, dear. You've got some bad bruises all over you, so I wager you're not feeling too good at the moment. I'll bring you something to eat. I bet you're hungry," the man smiled, feeling elated that his guest was not seriously ill.

Before the young lady could muster a word, the man had gone to the kitchen to fetch her food.

"He seems nice. I wonder who he is..." she thought, placing her hands on the top of her blankets so she could move better. She tried sitting up in bed, but her back protested, her legs ached miserably, and her head went to mush. She decided to stay put because moving hurt far too much.

The man returned with a tray and sat it down on her lap gently.

"I made you some stew to help give your strength back. Who knows when the last time you ate was! There's also some tea that I thought you might enjoy," he explained, gesturing to each item as he spoke.

"My name is Arvis, by the way." He sat down in an armchair at the foot of her bed, and watched as she nodded at him.

_"A name? Do I have one too?" _she wondered. The thought had not occurred to her before, but as she reached for the spoon in the wooden bowl on the tray, a word appeared in her mind. It felt familiar, close, right.

"My name is...Terra," she said, her voice raspy from what felt like a sore throat. She coughed a little into her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, child."

"I don't remember anything else..." Terra said softly, looking down at her stew. She managed to get herself into a position to eat without hurting her back too much.

Arvis sighed, knowing what must have caused her memory loss.

"You can't remember anything because I found this on your head," he went to the table and picked up the crown.

"It's a slave crown. I received word of them a few months ago from some friends of mine. The Empire was using it to control you, Terra," Arvis looked at her with a sad expression, touching her arm in a comforting way.

"It renders the wearer completely under the control of others. It rips the thoughts and free will from the victim."

Terra looked at the slave crown with fear, her eyes widening as what Arvis was telling her sunk in.

"I...that thing was on my head? I was being controlled? Who would want to do that to me? Why?" she felt her heart beat speed up.

"Do you know anything more, Arvis? Why am I here?" Terra pulled at his arm like a helpless child, making him drop the slave crown on the floor with a clatter.

Arvis shook his head at her, "I'm sorry, Terra. But I don't know why. I just know that I found you in the mines north of town crumpled on the ground like a bird with a broken wing. Please, lay back, relax. Go ahead and eat your stew before it gets cold. You'll need the energy to recover."

The man made a move to leave the room for a moment to give her time to process things, but Terra asked, "Can you please stay with me while I eat?"

Arvis smiled kindly, "Of course, let me go grab some tea first, if you don't mind?"

Terra nodded, smiling back a little. As she had her first taste of the stew, names of vegetables and spices kept popping into her mind. The word "potato" kept appearing due to the numerous chunks of the spud in her bowl. They all tasted very good to her, and she asked for seconds after finding her stomach still yearning for food.

Arvis complied with a chuckle, "You must be famished!" Terra nodded, unsure about why he was laughing. When he left her alone in the room, she examined her surroundings a little. There was a red bag on the floor next to the bed, and it looked familiar to her. She reached down to pick it up, noticing that her back had eased up quite a bit.

The bag had flower designs on the fabric, and an emblem of some kind sewn onto one side. She felt nosy for wanting a peek inside, but she looked because curiosity was tugging at her. Terra found some bread and cheese wrapped up in wax paper, a short red dress, a pair of rose colored stockings, some undergarments, a cloak, a gray sweater that looked itchy, and a strange purple pendant. The chain that held the pendant was silver and shone in the lamplight. She felt warmth spread through her chest as she examined it.

Her host returned with a steaming bowl and a smile. He sat the stew down on her lap and went back to his chair to enjoy his tea.

"That's a lovely necklace, Terra," he said, sipping his tea quietly.

"Is it mine? I'm sorry that I looked in this bag," she replied, pushing the pack towards Arvis.

Arvis merely shook his head, "It's fine, child. I found it in the mines near you. It matches your outfit, so I assumed it is yours. Does anything seem familiar?"  
Terra looked under the blankets at herself to see that Arvis was right. She was wearing a short red dress with the same designs as the bag. She also had arm warmers that went from above her elbow down to her hands like gloves. Stockings like the ones she found in the bag were covering her legs as well.

She looked back up at Arvis and shook her head, "Nothing seems to be familiar to me."

"Everything will come back to you in time, I'm sure. It takes a while for your mind to catch up to you, that's all."

Before Terra could reply, loud banging noises came from outside. Arvis jumped up from his chair, toppled over his teacup, and rushed out of the room.

The voices were muffled through the wall, but she could make out, "Give us the girl! We know you're keeping her!"

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about!" Arvis shouted back from the next room.

Terra sat her stew on the table near the bed and got out of bed to slip her boots on. Acting on instinct, she shoved her things back into her bag except for the cloak, and waited for Arvis to come back. She snapped her cloak around her shoulders and slipped her arms in the straps of her bag.

The man burst back into the bedroom, red faced, and rummaged in the bureau for a moment, clothes and nick-knacks fell in his wake.

"Terra, you have to get out of here! I wish you had more time to stay here safely, but those brutes won't understand that you're not dangerous! Take these with you!" Arvis pushed a shield and a small knife into her hands before leading her to the back door.

"Behind my house is a path leading to a bridge. Go across it, and make your way into the mines. I'll send somebody to help you, Please, be careful! I'll keep the guards busy while you run," and with that he opened the door and pushed her out into the snow.

The young lady staggered on the uneven ground, her boots slipping slightly on the icy path.

"What's going on?" she wondered, putting a hand against the side of Arvis's house to keep her balance as she walked to the bridge. Her cloak, however warm it was from being made of wool, was not enough to keep her from trembling. Her short skirt that stopped above her knees was not in any way suited for the chilling temperatures outside. She could hear shouting inside the house, or rather, arguing.

"She is an officer of the Empire! She barreled through our town riding Magitek Armor!" a gruff voice roared.

_"Magitek Armor?"_ Terra pondered, feeling confused.

More yelling issued from the house, making the hair of Terra's neck stand on end. She tried to ignore it as she got to the beginning of the bridge suspended on ropes that rested high above the town. The planks of wood looked worn in some places, but she would try to avoid those when she came to them. The green haired woman peered down at Narshe, finding it to look like a pleasant place to live, despite the cold. She let out a teeth-chattering shiver, taking in the pale light from the street lamps, the chugging and grinding noises coming from the engines that let out puffs of steam, and the simple, yet handsome architecture. Narshe guards bustled around below in the streets, all soliciting houses, looking for her.

Knowing that she had to hurry, she took a timid step on to the bridge. Each step she took sounded ten times louder in her ears, as if the steps were signaling to the guards, "Up here! Look! She's here!"

Terra's heart pounded in her ears and her chest felt heavy as she moved carefully across the planks of wood. A look down at the ground many, many yards below made her feel dizzy, so she avoided glancing down as much as she could. She neared the middle of the hanging bridge when a guard spotted her silhouette against the dark sky.

"Hey! There she is!" he shouted, pointing as his fellow guards ran to his side. Terra froze in place, feeling ill when she heard them.

"Let's find a way up there, men!" another guard commanded. The men ran off to sound the alarm and gather the rest of the guards.

The mint haired woman scurried across the remaining half of the bridge, not paying any attention to the rotten parts which gave away when trod on. She ran into the entrance of the mine, and did not stop until it became too dark for her to see.

"Gosh, what do I do now?" she squeaked, panting as she leaned against the rock wall behind her. Without a thought, Terra raised her left hand, focused for a second, and a small fire appeared in her palm.

"At least I can see where I'm going now. Where should I go, though?" she wondered out loud, her voice echoing off the rocks. The flame she made helped her calm down as she decided to keep walking until the person Arvis said he would send arrived.

"If I stay put, those guards will find me quicker. Maybe I'll run into that person sometime soon..."

Terra went down a corridor with rats that skittered around her feet and torches that looked long burnt out on the walls. She kicked at the rats when they crossed her path, and eventually came to a small bridge that crossed a deep crack in the ground.

When she got across the bridge, she came to a forked corridor that did not look like either one was a better choice than the other. Terra puzzled over which path to take when she heard voices coming from somewhere close by in the mines. The voices were magnified by the echoes, but sounded close enough that she could even hear footsteps on the ground.

She bolted down one at random; her flame flickered wildly as she ran. Terra wished over and over in her head for the help from Arvis to come sooner.

The voices grew louder the farther she went, and shadows appeared on the walls around a bend in the path.

"There she is! We found the little murderer!" an older guard cried, issuing whoops of victory from his comrades.

"Come 'ere you little witch!" another guard raged, moving towards her forcefully.

"No" she cried, turning to run back the way she came, but found another gaggle of guards waiting for her. Terra shrieked as she was cornered, her legs shook as she backed up to the rock wall.

Before the men could even grab her curly hair, the ground gave away with a deafening groan, sending Terra plummeting down to the level below. She landed on her knees, with her stomach and face following with painful thuds.

Cries of anger and disappointment floated into her ears as she tried moving, crawling a few feet forwards before the pain rushed into her senses. Bubbles of darkness started flooding her vision as her body started issuing sparks of lime green light that bobbed in the air a moment before absorbing back into her. Her broken limbs started healing as all of her energy was drained away from the strain of casting such spells.

Terra still cast her spells as her mind blanked out, and darkness took over in a quiet embrace.

A/N: Hello again! I hope that the pacing of this chapter was not too rushed. (Feels like it was...)

Anyways, I want to show the more domestic parts of life in FF6, and plan to by putting it in this fan fiction. I hope this chapter was enjoyable~ Please review~


	3. Memories Left Behind

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Memories Left Behind**

A group of moogles were foraging in the Narshe mines for food when they came upon a young woman, broken, on the ground. She was shivering slightly, her mint green hair was matted and tangled, cuts and bruises covered her skin, some still bleeding, and her breath came slowly. The largest moogle, their leader went to her side and patted her shoulder softly, as if comforting her. The other moogles joined him, all patting her with their stubby little fur covered arms.

"Kupo, kup, ku-ku!" the leader squeaked, his little violet wings fluttering as he spoke. His friends all hopped, drifting slowly back down to the ground due to their flapping wings, and scurried off to do as he asked. The large moogle, the last to leave, nuzzled his face against the girl's hair in a parting gesture before scurrying off himself to find somebody to help her.

* * *

_Fire enveloped her vision. The smell of scorched wood filled her nostrils as she rode past. The metallic clanking of her Magitek Armor rang out in the strangely quiet village. Dead bodies came into her view. Some were split in half, their insides spilling out into the dirt. Some were mangled so badly only their eyes remained the only part that was untouched. The corpses stared at her as she approached, and continued staring when she crushed their legs and chests with the leg-like structures of her armor. Blood flowed through the streets, mixing with the scent of smoke and made her cough in disgust. Everybody in the village was dead. And she was the cause. A man with a blond ponytail and face makeup pulled up beside her in his Magitek Armor, cackling at the carnage while she struggled with herself to scream. Nothing came from her mouth._

_"What a wonderful littler killer you are, my dear! You slaughtered every sad little cockroach in this dumpy place under five minutes. That's a new record! The Emperor will certainly be pleased with you." the man snorted, looking at her like he would some delicacy._

_"Empy Gesty might even take that crown off of you for an evening! What's that look for?" he glared at her, frowning. Her face was contorted with grief and anger. She wanted to stop doing this. She wanted to be free._

_"Looks like the good ole Doctor Cid will have ta check that crown of yours. Maybe adjust it to make the effects stronger. We can't have you making faces and thinking now can we?"_

_As Terra drifted on the edge of her consciousness, the memory fading into a snowflake, tears came from her eyes._

* * *

A knock came from the back door as Arvis paced in front of his roaring fireplace. He had just added fresh logs to the fire, and checked his pocket watch. It was about three in the morning, and it had been a couple of hours since he had last seen Terra. He had not heard any word from the town's citizens of the guards finding Terra, so she still had time. He went to let in who he hoped was his friend instead of more of the Narshe guards.

And he was ecstatic and deeply agitated to find that it was his friend.

"Locke Cole! You're very late! Have you any idea what's been going on tonight?" Arvis fumed, stomping back into his sitting room, the younger man following behind him.

Locke scratched his head, shrugged and handed Arvis a note that could not be trusted with carrier pigeons. The older man read it quickly, letting out a nasty curse.

"This is about a day late."

"Look, I'm sorry! Would you mind telling me what the hell's goin' on? Banon hands me that note yesterday and now you're not telling me what's happening. You people aren't good at explaining things," Locke huffed, shoving his hands into his dark blue jacket.

"The Empire sent Magitek Armored soldiers here to take the frozen esper. They killed many guards in the process, and now everybody's in a panic over whether they will attack again. Two of the soldiers haven't been found, yet, and one, a young woman, has escaped into the mines. I helped her and fed her before the remaining guards came to take her. They want to kill her and this is not her fault!" Arvis picked up the slave crown from the mantle and showed Locke. His eyes grew wide upon seeing the device.

"We have to help her, don't we?" Locke asked, still staring at the slave crown.

Arvis nodded, setting it back on the mantle.

"If you could take some time out of your plundering and thieving to go find her and take her to Figaro castle, everybody in the Returners would appreciate it."

"All right, I'll send word to you when I can," Locke replied, going back to the door to leave. As he was closing the door he called, "And I'm a treasure hunter! Sheesh!"

Arvis shook his head as he sat down at his desk to write a letter to Banon.

* * *

"Thief my ass..." Locke grumbled as he strode into the mineshaft where the girl escaped. Luckily for him, he was not spotted as he went across the bridge due to the hour and all of the guards were in the mines. The thief did not want to be caught by the Narshe guards because they were still sore at him for "borrowing" their supplies without asking. He took a matchbook out of his pocket, and struck a match to light up a torch. The fire light reached well enough for him to see a few yards ahead of him.

He followed the pathways in the caves, moving quickly to find her before the guards did.

"Gods, they were using a slave crown on a young woman? It's kinda creepy. I wonder what they even needed it for. I know Arcell was looking into the Empire's research projects, but who knew they were using them already?" he muttered to himself as he crossed a small bridge.

Something made scuffling noises behind him, causing Locke to turn sharply, anticipating a monster. He did not see anything but his own shadow flitting along the rock walls.

"I know I heard something..."

He shook his head, chalking it up to mice, and continued on his way, paranoia creeping through his blood. Locke jumped when he heard the noises again, turning his head every which way to find the source, but never saw anything more than a rat squeaking along the ground.

Unbeknownst to him, a moogle was following him around out of curiosity. The moogle thought that the strange man with bandanas tied around his head might be trying to find the girl who was wounded. After watching the man for a while and seeing that he was different from the loud men with spears and guns from earlier, the moogle let out a "kupo!" and hurried away to find his fellow moogles. They would be happy that he had found somebody to help so soon.

Locke came to a large hole in the ground that was still crumbling along the sides as if it had been formed very recently.

"Maybe she fell down there," he wondered, moving cautiously to the edge and tried shining some light into the darkness to see if he was right. He could not see a thing, making him sigh.

"Looks like I'll have to get down there and see. This isn't gonna be good for my knees."

Without any hesitation, the thief dropped himself down the hole, bracing himself for the shock when he landed on his feet. Pain surged up his legs once his feet connected with the ground. He groaned painfully as he tried to straighten up.

"At least I didn't fall on my behind. Yeesh, that smarts!" he said, and noticed that his torch was still ablaze. He scanned the ground around him, seeing the large chunks of rock from the level above, the crumbles of dirt everywhere, and the mint haired young woman lying on her front at a somewhat awkward angle.

The thief went to her side quickly, checking the pulse in her neck, and was relieved to discover that her heartbeat was still going strong.

"Oh thank gods! She's only knocked out," he moved her gently over so that her legs were not in such a crumpled position. Locke recognized the part of the mine they were in, and remembered hiding out there during his youth.

"Well, let's get cha outta here before the dimwits show up!" he said to the unconscious woman as he started to try picking her up.

Just then, the sound of boots clomping and angry male voices echoed throughout the cave.

"Oh shit."

"There's the Imperial Witch! Get her!" the leader of the guards commanded as he caught sight of Locke trying to pick her up.

"Great, they're all here," Locke spat sarcastically, setting the mint hair woman back down gently and put a handover his dagger.

"Kupo!" came from behind him. He spun around, seeing a group of moogles all looking at him with their wings flapping. The largest moogle came forwards with a spear in his little hand, and motioned Locke to the guards.

"Wha? You guys wanna help?"

All of the moogles wiggled their antennae and hopped in confirmation.

"Thanks! You have no idea how much this means to me!"

A moogle shoved Locke back around which told him to focus on the guards who were advancing on them fast.

Narshe was one of the only major cities that trained the native monsters to fight for them, which made their defenses that much stronger. Other than the very harsh climate that Narshe rested in, the creatures were formidable in their own right. Wolf-like creatures with gray-ish silver fur called lobos leaped and snarled as the moogles fought. Several moogles wielded spears and swords that came from who-knows-where attacked the lobos ferociously in return for the wolves clawing and biting them.

Locke joined a group of moogles that were fighting a large fur covered elephant that held control over blizzards. It cast its spell which made needles of ice strike the group, slashing and cutting into their skin. One moogle jumped on top of the mammoth with his sword raised high before he brought it down hard into the back of the beast.

Two more moogles dashed forwards with their spears and started tearing into the mammoth where they could reach. Locke didn't want the moogles to have all of the fun, so he ran at the mammoth and started slicing at its face, making the beast cry out even more. It reared back on its hind legs, knocking the moogle riding it off, and fell on its side with a thundering crash.

"Great job!" Locke called to the moogles, giving them a thumbs-up as he ran to a Narshe guard that was coming up with his spear out, dodged the man's attack, and slit his throat as he slipped behind him. The thief snatched a tonic from the man's pocket as he fell, chugging it and put the empty bottle in his pocket as he went up against a group of five guards battling two moogles. One of the moogles threw a bladed boomerang at a guard, which made him fall over bleeding.

Locke jumped on the closest guard and started stabbing his chest before the man could act. His comrades fell under the hands of the moogles, and soon there was only one enemy left: the guard Marshal.

As Locke was starting to go after the Marshal, the largest moogle pranced up to him almost innocently, ducked a swipe of his blade, and started dancing. The Narshe Marshal looked confused as the moogle danced around him, a strange aura appeared. Then, boulders fell from the ceiling at an alarming rate, and they were all focused on the Marshal. The man screamed as he was squashed under the weight of the rocks, and the moogle finally stopped.

The thief's jaw dropped, eyes bulging at what he had just witnessed. The moogle scampered back to his friends like a cute little puppy, and squeaked, "Kupo kupo!"

The moogle all danced in victory for a moment, until a smaller one pointed back at the unconscious woman they had been protecting. That caught Locke's attention, making him remember what he was supposed to be doing.

He went back to the woman, picked her up bridal style, and called back to the moogle, "Thank you moogles! I'm in your debt! You guys are amazing!"

They all hopped happily as Locke carried the girl through a path that went down a corridor with torches lit already, and down some stone steps. He reached the end of the path and sat the young woman down on the ground with her back against the wall. She started stirring when her body adjusted against the rock.

Locke went to work with a hidden switch he had made several years before, slipping his fingers into slight grooves in the wall and pressed against the small lever. A click came from the wall, signaling that it had been activated.

He saw that the woman he had just saved was rubbing her temples slowly with her eyes closed.

"You're back with us now?" he asked, causing her eyes to snap open.

"Um, who are you?" she rubbed at her eyes next with bruised hands.

"I'm Locke! Arvis sent me to rescue you! With the help of some moogles of course," the thief jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb, grinning widely.

"Oh! Thank you, Locke, I'm Terra," she replied, trying to stand up while supporting herself against the wall. Locke lent an arm to help her steady herself, which she took gratefully.

"That must have been a doozy, falling like that. Are you able to walk?" he asked, letting her keep his arm for support. She tried a step without any trouble, and nodded.

"I think I'm fine. I just feel tired," she took another step and did not stumble like Locke thought she might.

"My head is spinning still, can we rest here for a moment?" Terra requested, to which Locke nodded with a kind smile. Terra clutched her head with her free hand, sighing.

"Darn, I still can't remember anything..."

"What? You have amnesia?"

"That's what it's called? That man who helped me before, Arvis? He told me that my memory would come back in time," she looked at Locke meekly, seeing how he looked very distracted by something.

"Arvis is right. But don't you worry, Terra! I'll protect you until your memory returns. I promise, alright?" Locke told her, his eyes serious.

"We had better get out of here before anybody else comes after you, okay? Come on!" Locke helped her along as he showed her his secret passage that led them outside of the town.

Terra felt some of her strength coming back as they walked, and soon did not need Locke's arm to lean on. Her bag bounced on her back and her cloak fluttered around her as the wind picked up and snow fell from the sky.

She was still very cold due to her clothing, but did not shiver as badly as she had before.

The duo descended down the mountain at a quick pace, and the ground started to have more vegetation the farther down they went.

When the first tree appeared on the horizon, Locke ran to it and hopped up into its branches. Terra got to the tree and looked up to see him getting a worn leather travel pack down from the foliage.

"What are you doing?"

"I had to hide my bag here because I didn't want to get slowed down by this thing. It's kinda heavy at times," he explained, settling the bag on his back and hopped down by Terra's side.

"I see. So, where are we going?" Terra finally thought to ask as they set off again down into a heavily wooded valley.

"We're going to Figaro castle in the desert. Me and Arvis think that it will be a good place for us to hide for a few days. When I receive word from the Returners, then we'll go to the hideout."

"Wait, what are the Returners?" Terra felt confused, slowing down her pace as she thought.

"They're a resistance movement against the Empire. I'm Arvis's contact with the group. I bring him news and stuff like that." Locke slowed down to match Terra.

Terra did not say anything more, and continued on with Locke, deep in thought.

"Those guards in Narshe said I was an officer of the Empire...and I've been saved from being put in jail by the Returners? The Empire put that crown on me. I hope they don't do it again..." she thought, feeling her chest get heavy.

The small party continued walking through the forests for the rest of that morning, stopping every now and then for a short rest because Terra was still rather weak.

The forests were calm that day, and the skies were clear, unlike in Narshe. Sunlight streamed down through the tree branches in bright beams where specks of pollen sparkled as they floated in the air. The ground was thick was dark green grasses, shrubs that were in bloom, and rich moss. Whenever Locke and Terra rested, Terra would sit down on a patch of spongy moss and run her fingers across it like it was a plush carpet. She would also relish the way her skin felt when the sun hit it. Her entire body warmed up and stayed at a cozy temperature.

Locke would share his water with her when they stopped, letting her drink as much as she wished because he had a large stock of it in his bag.

When they stopped around noon for lunch under a large oak tree, Locke handed Terra an apple and a bread roll. She thanked him graciously before gobbling them down. Remembering the food in her own bag, she broke off a chunk of her cheese for Locke, and some of her bread. He thanked her with a smile and ate eagerly.

After Terra was finished with her meal, she noticed that her body was not as stiff and pained as it was when she woke up. She felt wonderful and stretched out under a patch of sunshine. But something flashed through her mind as her body relaxed. A memory of herself burning many people came into her mind, causing her to gasp.

"You alright, there?" Locke asked, shifting next to her.

"Uh, yeah, I'm okay..." she replied, shaking her head of the image. She wondered vaguely if it had really happened.

* * *

**A/N: **I thought that was a good place to stop. I hope that the story is turning out well! Please review with your thoughts~ Have a lovely day.


	4. Camping

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Camping**

**A/N: I hope that this version is more fun to read, and not as over detailed as the last.**

It was finally nightfall, with the stars above twinkling from behind the gray clouds. Terra had a long day that day and she was feeling the effects. She and Locke had traveled from Narshe to just outside of the desert in a little valley near a stream. Locke said that it was not very far to Figaro now, just another day of walking the next day and they would arrive by that night at the latest.

Speaking of Locke, he was away from camp right now, out getting some more sticks for the little fire. Terra was sitting cross-legged in the grass with her cloak and boots next to her.

Of course, Locke had cleared some of the weeds away and made a circle of rocks before he tried lighting the fire for the night. His matches were damp from melting snowflakes from their little adventure in the coalmine town and he cursed under his breath.

Terra scooted over to the little stack of sticks and called a flame to existence in her hand, touched the sticks with it causing them to start flickering and splintering with smoke and crackling noises. She calmly let her palm go out in a little puff of smoke, walked back to her bag, and sat next to it calmly as if she had done this every day. Locke, seeing everything that she just did, had a look of shock on his tanned face. He rushed over to her place in the grass, grabbed up her hand to look for burns, and then asked her to empty her bag so he could find the matches he thought she had stashed away. Terra emptied her bag for him as he asked, looking confused at the sudden request. She wondered if he would try to take something of hers or if he was just nosy. He did not find any matches amongst her belongings, nor even a trace of blackened sticks or flint.

"How did you do that Terra?" He shrieked amazed.

"Like this." She replied quietly, and lit her palm again; Locke stared at the little flame in her hand glowering orange and red, waving in the light breeze.

"That's magic Terra…I didn't know you knew magic! Why didn't ya tell me?" Locke asked, still staring at the flame mesmerized by it.

"I-I…I'm not sure. It just feels natural to me…" Terra said looking down at the ground, she didn't really know what she was really feeling, but she felt somewhat…awkward to say the least.

Locke calmed himself down quickly seeing the sad look on her face, the corners of her mouth turned down, her eyes averted to the patch of flowers nearby.

"Terra, it's okay. I'm sorry; I just haven't seen magic before. I really am sorry." He said gently, while his hand reached over to pat her shoulder. She let the flame die and looked back up at him with a searching gaze.

"So…it's not weird?" she asked a little hopefully, but eyes still rather watery and shining.

"What's so bad about being weird huh? I mean, look at me, I'm pretty out there! Though I wouldn't recommend acting too much like me," Terra gave him an odd look. "Terra, you are a little strange, but that's normal in itself. Everyone has their quirks. Everyone has their worries, troubles and oddities. But don't feel like you're a Leafer in a Chocobo Stable. You'll fit in fine!" Locke said smiling a brilliant smile down at her, trying to reassure the green haired woman.

Terra gave a little smile back, now wondering what a chocobo was.

Locke saw the confusion come back to her features. "What's on your mind now? Are you hungry?"  
"I was wondering what a 'chocobo' was. And yes, I am a little hungry…"

"A chocobo is a big yellow bird that people ride on to get places quicker. And I'll go find something! I think the apple I had in my bag went bad…" He said turning to his own bag, unbuttoning pockets and straps to rummage inside to find that his apple was indeed rotten with a tuft of bluish mold stuck to the stem. He tossed it away while sticking his tongue out in a "yuck" gesture, and stood up brushing his denim pants free of leaves and weeds.

Terra thought about what Locke said to her as she watched the fire spark and rise in the air, creating waves of heat as it rose, and licked at the particles of pollen. The sky was turning dark and when she looked up, she could see a few stars peeking out and the red and orange colors fade to dusk. Locke returned to camp with some fish he caught from a little creek about a mile or so away from camp.

The thief was grinning broadly and waving, making himself known to her as he approached camp. She helped wrap the fish up in an old newspaper he had in his bag while they prepared the campfire for their meal. Locke had speared the fish after he gutted them; he cringed a lot while he did this. The fish guts did not seem to bother her for some reason so she offered to clean them. He propped the fish up against the fire on sticks after the whole "Terra can do magic, oh my gods" thing had passed. She asked him during their meal what he thought about her ability to do magic.

He chewed thoughtfully, seeming to mull over what he really thought, swallowed and said, "I actually think it is pretty damn cool. And useful, can't forget that! I wish I could do magic now that I think about it."

"Thanks Locke." Terra said before she took a tentative bite of her own fish. She thought it was rather tasty, though a bit undercooked, so she put it back against the fire to cook some more.

"Eh? For what?" He asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"For being so nice to me. Also for saving me of course." She said, blushed a little, though not feeling the warmth spread through her cheeks because of the campfire.

"Well, you're welcome! That's what friends do for each other ya know?" He said grinning at her.

Terra smiled shyly at her browning fish that almost caught on fire. She pulled the stick back quickly, blowing the spark out and let the stick smoke and cool before she tried eating again. The lady decided that she liked her fish almost burnt for some reason.

After their meal, Locke told Terra that he was going to go grab more firewood before bed, to which the woman nodded. She sat next to the fire, watching the flames crackle, and enjoyed the sounds of the valley.

Locke returned to camp after about thirty minutes. Terra could not really tell how much time had passed; she was a pretty bad judge of time, especially when she was looking at a fire.

"Hey Terra! I found some wood! Wanna get some sleep? I'll keep watch if ya want," he offered, while setting down the sticks with a loud clatter.

"Alright then," she said quietly.

She stood up and went over to a soft spot of grass and bundled up her cloak on top of her little red bag for a pillow. She laid her head down and looked up at the stars overhead once again. The soft twinkling of the stars made her feel calm inside.

Locke looked over, seeing how Terra was curled up, facing the fire, with her head on a makeshift pillow. He shrugged out of his jacket and got up, walked over to her and laid his jacket on her small body. She looked up at him as he did so with a questioning gaze.

"Locke? Don't you need this?"

"Nah, it's pretty warm tonight for me, but I wanted to make sure you had something covering you. That dress can't be very warm."

"Um…Thanks," she said, snuggling up underneath the jacket. It was still warm from his body and felt comforting. The green haired lady breathed in the smell of the blue jacket, it smelled like a man she figured, not having much of a memory to judge what a man smelled like. It was not like it was dirty or anything like that, but it had a unique smell of earth, sunlight, and perhaps, human? She thought it was pleasant, so she fell asleep with her nose buried under the garment. Locke occasionally poked at the fire with a stick; he glanced over at Terra again, seeing that she finally fell asleep. She looked so small and fragile all cuddled up under his jacket.

Terra did not dream that night, instead she had a peaceful, restful sleep that did not make her heart race when she woke up the next morning. Upon opening her eyes, she saw a bird fly overhead, and sunlight streaming down through the clouds. She sat up carefully and folded the jacket over into a neat little square. The woman glanced around and saw that Locke was asleep on his face in the grass without a thing covering him. The girl smiled when she remembered that he had offered to keep watch during the night. Maybe he had only fallen asleep a few hours after she did. He was an adventurer after all, and was probably used to sleeping when he could. Though his sleeping habits were a little strange. He had a stick still in his hand and the other arm was awkwardly bent under his stomach.

He was not snoring but breathing a little heavier than when awake. Terra watched him sleep for a while, noticing how her new friend sighed a lot as if he was having a nice dream. After a few moments, he let out a weird noise, eyebrows squirming, and jumped up suddenly. He held his nose and sneezed violently, sputtering after doing so.

"Damn bugs! Crawlin' up my nose while I'm vulnerable!" He spat annoyed at the bug in question that Terra could see scuttling away as fast as its little insect legs could carry it.

Terra giggled at him and the insect rant. He heard her giggling and he stopped for a moment, briefly thinking that he was being an idiot, and then joined in with her laughter.

"Gah, I'm such a goof! Sorry about that Terra didn't mean to wake you."

"Oh, you didn't, I woke up a few minutes before you were under attack." She said still laughing a little, holding her chest.

After they had calmed down some because Terra just couldn't stop giggling, Locke said they had better get going. The young woman agreed and followed him through a group of trees with moss growing on the branches. They were about thirty minutes away from the desert according to the thief, and the mage had no idea what to expect of course, but she hoped that it wouldn't take much longer.

As they were walking, the sun warming them, Locke talked to Terra about how Narshe was probably very sore at them for fighting with their guards. Terra agreed, nodding her head, and felt troubled over what had happened.

"How are you feeling?" Locke asked after a few silent minutes of walking. His legs were starting to feel a little weary despite their starting within the past hour.

"I'm okay, I suppose," she replied.

"I mean, are you still sore from that fall?"

Terra gave the question some thought before saying, "Not really. My back feels stiff at times, but other than that, I feel fine."

"Oh, wow! That's pretty amazing, especially since you looked so beat up when I found you. You must heal really fast or something!" he felt himself feeling envious of her being able to heal so quickly.

"Wow, what I would give to do that. Even after drinking a potion, I still feel all sore," he sighed, stretching his arms far back behind himself. The young woman figured that she healed faster because of her abilities.

Soon, the duo reached the edge of the desert, and immediately Terra's hair whipped out behind her from the violent winds. She felt herself start to fall backwards as her foot slipped in the sand. Locke helped to steady her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her behind him towards the castle.

"Come on! I've got ya! We don't have long now!" he shouted over the wind and sand flying by, feeling momentarily invigorated by the excitement. Terra sputtered sand out of her mouth and grasped his hand tighter.

**Deserts are fun. Edgar's even better.**


	5. The Presence of Royalty

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**The Presence of Royalty**

_A/N: Hello! It has certainly been a long time since I updated. I hope to be forgiven because I'm going to be updating quite a bit now! _

The desert sun beat down on Locke, hitting him with the rays of light, smashing him with the heat, the waves rising up as if in jest. The waves of heat could escape, and mocked the thief when he scowled at them, only to find himself scowling at nothing. Terra, on the other hand, was having no troubles dealing with the heat. She puttered along with her friend, face a little rosy, but no sweat rolled off of her temple, no panting came from her mouth.

"How do you do that?" the thief asked in exasperation, gasping a little. He never took hot weather very well. He always was more of an autumn person.

"Do what?" the lady asked, oblivious to her friend's suffering.

"Act as if the damn sun isn't buggin' ya!" he wheezed.

"Uhm..."

"Are your clothes extra thin or something?"

"No? I just...don't feel anything out of the ordinary. I feel warm, but I always feel warm," she explained, trying not to make her friend expend anymore energy.

Locke shot his hand out and felt her face, hissing when he made contact, and jerked his hand away.

"Gods, you're on fire! And you're not even sweating!" he exclaimed, blowing on his hand to try cooling it down. The skin looked scorched almost, blistering red, and hurt like the dickens.

"Perhaps I just handle the temperature better than most?" she sighed, stretching her arms backwards.

"Maybe. Stranger things have happened," Locke replied, suspicion growing in his gut.

"Something's not right here..." he thought, hopeful that what ever else that may be abnormal about Terra would come to light sometime soon.

Terra, however, after worrying about how far away the castle was for Locke's sake, was having a wonderful time walking through the sand dunes. She had gotten the hang of stepping on sand with her boots, and found that the entire experience was very enjoyable. It was very interesting to see the little lizards slithering across the ground, how the sand cascades down when one sinks their foot into a dune, and she loved the feel of the sun.

"I feel...so energetic!" she thought, bounding ahead, pretending to be one of the lizards she saw earlier that scurried over the sand. Over a large dune, Locke heard Terra let out a gasp.

"Terra? Is everything okay?" he called, panting as he tried catching up.

"Yeah! Locke, there's the castle!" she cried happily. She waited for Locke to catch up with her before grabbing his hand and taking off in a run.

They reached the castle finally, with Locke panting and gasping for air after Terra dragged him along. Past the gates, the emerald haired young woman stood in awe, looking at the splendor of the castle, the tall towers with odd whirring mechanisms, and at the beautiful sloping roof tops. Her friend regained his breath and joined her in gazing at Figaro castle, "A beaut, isn't it?"

She nodded, still looking about as Locke led her to the entrance. The guards all waved and greeted them, each of them knew Locke's name, making Terra wonder how often he visits, and bowed to her as she passed.

Guards dressed in red and green riding chocobos, as Locke called them, paced back and forth keeping watch at the gates. Others were posted at various points, and looked friendly as they smiled at them.

Inside the castle was even more regal and lovely decorations, with long, gold threaded tapestries and large polished vases that could fit a person inside.

Everything was ornate, and made the mint haired woman feel instantly out of place with her wind beaten dress and grass stained stockings. She found a twig when she self consciously ran a hand through her hair. Spying no waste baskets in their immediate area, she slipped it into her bag, noting to take care of it later.

The thief led her through many rooms, a courtyard with pretty plants flowering around a marble fountain, and a lobby before reaching the doors to the throne room.

Before going inside, Locke leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Don't be frightened or anything of Edgar, okay? He's a good guy."

"Alright," she responded, trying to whisper too, though in the back of her mind she wondered why Locke was briefing her on his friend. She figured that there must be something particularly different about the king that sets him off from the others.

Locke gave her a smile that was reassuring, and in they went, the thief leading the way. A long red velvet carpet with marble columns on either side stretched all the way from the doors to a pair of thrones. One throne was empty, and the other seated a man in royal blue and green armor. Upon closer inspection, Terra saw his long blond hair that was tied into a ponytail with blue ribbons that was pulled over his shoulder, and the way he leaned on one slender hand while the other toyed with a fan. His mouth stretched into a genuine smile as he looked up, noticing Locke coming up to him.

"Locke, my good man! It's a pleasure to see you again. What brings you on an unexpected visit?" He said, his voice smooth and pleasant. He brushed a few strands of stray bangs behind his ear as he stood, sweeping down to meet his friend. With a hug and a quick peck on the cheek, as was Figaro's custom, the king saw that Locke had brought another visitor with him.

He regarded her for a moment before he spun around, facing the other direction, cleared his throat into a handkerchief, and turned back to her.

"My lady, I know not your name, nor from where you hail, but I graciously welcome you to my humble land and home," he took her hand and kissed it, confusing her a little, and gave her a dashing smile that would melt the heart of almost any lady.

Terra smiled back to be polite, though in her mind she was asking herself if it was normal for men to greet women in such a fashion. She couldn't remember, and inwardly sighed.

"I am King Edgar Roni Figaro," Edgar continued, still smiling, eyes eating her up like candied apples.

Locke said something to him quietly, causing Edgar's eyebrows to rise.

"You mean? She is the young woman we heard about?" Locke nodded, before adding something else and handing the king a piece of paper from his pocket.

"No matter, you both are welcome here, always," the king confirmed, nodding, stuffing the paper into his pants pocket quickly.

"Aren't ya surprised I know a king so casually?" the thief asked proudly.

Before Terra could answer, Locke started down the steps and towards the doors, "Stay here Terra, I'll be back later!"

"So, you are, or rather, used to be an Imperial soldier. My kingdom and the Empire are allies. We will take care of you," Edgar told Terra, smiling that smile again, as if to win her over.

"Um, thank you, your highness. I appreciate it," she said as kindly as she could, trying her best to not appear ungrateful.

"Feel free to wander about, I can have some lunch brought up for you if you wish, or have a maid show you a place to rest." He walked down from the little platform his throne was atop.

"Why...are you helping me?" the mint haired woman asked.

"You are a lady, and when a lady is in need, I cannot help but come to her rescue. It is not in my blood to harm a lady, especially one as beautiful and special as you," Edgar turned, bowing to her deeply, before excusing himself to go meet with a chancellor.

When he was gone, Terra bowed her head in thought, "He was so nice...any girl would have loved to talk with him and be complimented so...but...am I like any other girl?"

She shook her head, resolving to take Edgar up on the offer of having lunch, and asked one of the guards who stand guard in the throne room about it since they were close by.

The guard nodded at her request and went over to a rope hanging from the ceiling behind a column and tugged it. A bell sounded, and a few moments later a servant appeared with a tray.

"Lady Terra requested a meal," he told the servant, who bowed, still holding the tray upright, and hurried over to her.

"Here you are, my lady, a roast chicken with potatoes, carrots, and corn. Where would you like to dine?"

"I don't know, thank you for the food," she stammered, feeling embarrassed at being addressed so.

"Follow me then, I know a nice little nook that the king loves to dine in when he isn't feeling up to the dining hall."

"A-Alright."

Terra followed the young man as he navigated the long corridors and down lights of stairs, and even going outside for a moment before entering another part of the palace. They finally stopped in a spacious room with a canopied bed at one end, a crackling fireplace with paintings above the mantle, and a little table Terra assumed was for tea.

"Oh my, this room is wonderful!" Terra whispered, looking around at the plush cushions on the window seat.

"This is the king's chambers," the servant explained, "He always has his important guests dine here if they wish for the privacy."

"Important guest...me?" the young woman asked, puzzled.

"Yes, you. The king sent out a notice on the intercom system. He said you are a very important guest," he started arranging the food on the table, and adding a tall glass to fill with something bubbly.

The servant bowed again, "I hope you enjoy Figaro's cuisine, my lady. If you need anything else, give that rope in the corner a pull and I will be back shortly." With that, he left to return to his other duties, leaving Terra to eat.

She sat down on the plush chair and studied the foods in front of her. She recalled what they were, but could not remember if she liked how they tasted. The mint haired woman figured that there was only one way to find out, and picked up her fork and knife. Terra let out a happy moan as her taste buds delighted in her first bite of roast chicken.

"This is so yummy!" she cried, and happily devoured everything on her plate, not realizing until she was finished how hungry she had been. The bubbly drink tasted like grapes, and made her hiccup after she drank it all down. The servant had left the bottle, and upon reading it, she found out that she was drinking something called, "Sparkling Grape Juice." To her, it tasted sweet and delicious, so she poured herself another glass very carefully, not wanting to spill any on the fancy looking tablecloth.

From the canopy bed, as Terra was gulping down her second glass, a chuckle came from behind the cranberry curtains.

"You must not have eaten very many fine foods in your day," the voice said, still chuckling.

"I honestly can't say I have. This is very delicious though, and I'm happy to have had the opportunity to eat it," Terra replied, smiling with a full stomach.

The owner of the voice came out, revealing them to be a woman about forty years Terra's senior. Her elegant robes brushed along the carpet, and her hair was wrapped up into a complicated looking bun the color of ashes.

"I am very glad to hear that, young lady. I will be sure to give your compliments to the cooks," The elder woman said, sitting down in an armchair by another small table.

"What might your name be?" she asked, settling in the chair.

"I'm Terra, pleased to meet you."

"It is a pleasure indeed, I am Matron, the king's governess."

Seeing Terra's confused expression, Matron continued, "I took care of the king and the prince when they were young. I still care for him now by nursing him when he's ill and darning his socks. You wouldn't believe how many socks he goes through!" she laughed, smacking her knee.

"There's a prince? Where is he?" Terra asked, kneeling down on the rug in front of Matron with her glass of juice.

"The prince is the king's younger brother. His name is Sabin, and he looks just like their father, Bronson. He was always tall and strong, kind as can be, and such a charmer! The king and prince are twins, but since Sabin decided to leave to pursue his interests, Edgar got the crown."

"What were Sabin's interests?" the mint haired girl asked, ever curious about everything.

"He enjoyed the martial arts, fighting, so to speak," Matron said, smiling down at the girl.

"Now you be careful around Edgar, young lady, he's known for stealing hearts," she chuckled at how Terra's eyes grew wide.

"I kid, I kid! Now you best go explore the castle some more, I am sure that the king will be unhappy if he hears you did not wander about."

"Alright then, thank you for everything Matron." Terra waved as she left the room and went down the stairs.

Locke had climbed up several flights of stairs to the carrier pigeon tower and was in the process of writing a note to send to the Returners. He was informing his leader Banon that he had arrived in Figaro with Terra and was waiting for news to decide their next move.

He examined his scratchy handwriting briefly before folding up the note and tied it to a pigeon's leg. It cooed softly at him, recognizing his blue bandana and nibbled at his hand. He pet it after having secured the note, and told it where it needed to go.

Another string of coos came from the bird before it stretched its wings and flew off to the southeast.

Kefka, a rather colorful man, and a servant of the Emperor, was trying his best to look dignified as he swaggered the sand dunes of Figaro Desert with two soldiers accompanying him. But to his dismay, he kept tripping over misplaced rocks and an occasional sand scorpion. Right before he reached the Figaro castle gates, he stopped, causing the two soldiers to bump into each other.

"Kefka sir?"

"Why'd we stop?"

"There's sand on my boots! Wipe it off, I don't want to appear scruffy when we go in!" Kefka sneered, sticking out his boots. The soldiers crouched down quickly and wiped all of the sand off really fast. "Yes sir! You're all set!" they said in unison.

Kefka turned away to inspect his boots and started muttering about how fricking stupid Edgar was for keeping this castle in the desert. His soldiers exchanged worried glances.

"Godsdamn sand…I hate that moron Edgar!" Kefka snarled.

"We're almost to the castle, sir!" one soldier said, hoping that his superior would calm down. The blond man merely grimaced back at him and continued towards the desert castle. His soldiers hurried to keep up, both wishing that they had brought chocobos or their Magitek Armor so they would not have to walk.

In a resting room with many beds laid out that looking inviting, Terra found herself the object of gossip for the day. The maids who stayed in that room for tea all inquired her about who she was and if she wanted to join them. After a few pressure filled minutes of the sea foam headed girl stammering and blushing, she gave in and sat down to tea.

Instantly, she felt out of place all the more after seeing how crisp and clean the maid's uniforms were, how everybody who she met so far had perfectly clean clothing and that her stained dress and stockings were standing out. A red headed maid even wrinkled her nose when she saw the grass stains.

"Were you traveling very long, Lady Terra?" a blonde maid asked, sipping her tea through thin lips.

"Yes, Locke and I traveled for a few days. It felt long anyways."

"With Locke, eh? Isn't he the one who stole a quilt last year?" the maid near the fire pondered.

"Yes, he's a thief, remember?" the others nodded, all going into stories about Locke and Edgar's exploits as Terra slipped away.

In the library, she found out that Figaro's scholars laughed at the idea of magic. A pair of them were even arguing about the possibility when she walked in. Her heart sank, feeling dreadful as one said how preposterous the concept was.

"I'm telling you, the Empire is lying about having magic on their side!"

"But it's perfectly possible in this day and age! Magic could be making a comeback!"

In the courtyard, a soldier told her about some of Figaro's innovations, and stopped short when he almost gave away a secret. According to him, Edgar was a genius when it came to inventing things to make life easier and when it came to women.

He directed her attention to the large whirring mechanisms atop the towers, telling her they kept the castle at a nice temperature during the day as the desert sun beat down above.

"It also makes some sand get inside, but that's the only problem with it. Neat huh?"

She nodded, smiling before excusing herself to go back inside.

Back inside the main lobby, the mint haired lady examined the many paintings hung on the stone walls, reading the inscriptions with care, so she wouldn't forget them.

One painting was a family portrait of the Figaro's. A man with blond hair cut short, bright blue eyes, and a dark blond beard smiled with his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a lovely lady with golden hair.

Two boys whose facial features looked almost exactly alike stood in front of the adults, both with blond ponytails. One was half a foot taller than the other and was grinning while the other merely smiled like somebody had told an amusing joke before the picture was painted.

"_King Bronson, Queen Fleta, Princes Edgar and Sabin."_

Terra assumed that the shorter one was Edgar from what she remembered of Matron's story. A clamor came from the doors back down the hall, and the king himself walked in, tucking a pair of brass goggles up on his forehead and was wiping his face with a bandanna.

"Hello Lady Terra, did you enjoy your time here so far?" he asked gallantly, fixing his shirt sleeves to sit at his elbows. He had changed his clothes for some reason, but looked regal in them all the same.

"Oh, why yes I did! Everybody here is so kind, I had a lovely time," she nodded.

"I see you were looking at my family portrait; the artists did a wonderful job, do not you agree?"

"It is quite beautiful, I love the colors."

"Indeed! Also, I apologize for my appearance. I was down in the engine room working on a few repairs and did not want to soil my dress armor with oil," Edgar grinned, happy to be in normal clothing every once in awhile.

"Perhaps I can one day dress like this all the time. What do you think, Lady Terra? Would you enjoy that?"

"Uhm, well, I think it would be nice for you, but I don't know what you mean when you ask if I would enjoy it." she hoped she didn't sound rude when she said this, and bit her lip.

The king's face fell, "I seem to be losing my touch..." he thought, and was about to explain himself when a guard rushed into the lobby.

"King Edgar! King Edgar! Your Highness!" he cried, huffing and puffing when he stopped in front of them.

"Yes? What is the matter?"

"K-Kefka is here! He wishes to speak with you immediately!" the guard dropped to his knees then, frightened of the Emperor's right hand man, and tired from running so quickly.

Edgar's face darkened as he told Terra to stay put, and hurried out to meet the visitor.

"If it is not one thing, it is another..." he muttered, passing Locke as he headed to the court yard.

Hearing Edgar's muttering, Locke slipped inside to find Terra, and keep her away from the windows.

Kefka had surely come for her, and she must have been very important to the Emperor if he sent his highest ranking man.

"She was the Imperial Witch after all..." he thought as he found Terra sitting on a divan, fiddling with a strap on her bag.

Edgar's guards were sweating profusely at the sight of the garishly dressed court mage, as some called him. There, in the middle of the courtyard with two troopers on either side, was Kefka, in all his face painted glory. That day he had purple curls swirling up from his eyes and white paint covering his entire face.

"Seems he's switching it up nowadays..." Edgar thought as he brushed his bangs back with his hand and stood with his back straight, ready to speak.

"Sir Kefka, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Normally, you send a carrier pigeon ahead of time," the king said in his most polite and regal tone.

"Something has befallen the Empire of the utmost urgency. We seem to have lost a prisoner, of no importance, mind you, and Emperor Gestahl decided to send me to each kingdom to inquire about this girl. Have you seen her? She would look rather out of place, and peculiar," Kefka replied, his voice shrill for a male's. His mouth turned up in a sneer as Edgar put his hand to his chin, mockingly, and he pretended to think.

"A lady you say? My, my, there are so many ladies running about here, it is very difficult to keep track. I could ask my guards; they usually see odd things running amok," at the last phrase, Edgar's eyes gleamed down at Kefka, testing him.

His comment caused a vein to twitch in the court mage's forehead, "Look, is the little witch here or not?"

"A witch you say? I have heard some rumors regarding a witch, but I must admit that no such woman is here." Edgar fought the habit to smile after having said this, and merely put his hands on his hips.

"I do hope you're not lying, King Edgar, or something might happen to your ever so precious kingdom!" Kefka cried, flouncing out of the courtyard with his soldiers following, laughing loudly as he went.

After the man and his lackeys were gone, having returned to their chocobos, or what ever they used for travel, Edgar let out a sigh, dropping his arms. The Emperor must really be wanting Terra back, but since she did not seem to remember a single thing, as Locke had told him when they arrived, he felt the need to help keep her safe.

He turned and started back to the main lobby to find Terra, only to run into Locke.

"Ya know, that guy's a bit off...what's with those clothes...?" the thief coughed, leaning against the door frame and preventing the king to go further.

"You should take a look at your attire, my friend," Edgar chortled, pushing past his friend to find his emerald haired beauty, as he liked to call her in his mind.

Locke let the joke slide, "Don't worry, she didn't see or hear the joker. I made sure to entertain her with a crawdad story!"

They found Terra still on the divan, looking absentmindedly at the suits of armor, and running her fingers over a pendant she found in her bag. She noticed the king and thief, and chirped, "Hello! How did your meeting go?"

"It went well, I must plan my strategy though with the chancellor. I am sorry to leave you so quickly, Lady Terra, but I must be off! Locke will show you to your room for the evening," Edgar told her, kissing her hand three times before he went to the throne room.

"Well? Let's go!" Locke said, grabbing the girl's hand, and led her to a new part of the palace. In an adjoining building, Locke showed her a hallway of bedrooms meant for guests, and let her inside one with a painting of sea turtles on the door.

"Here's your room, doesn't it look comfy?"

Terra went and sat down on the edge of her bed, nodding to her friend.

"What's going on, Locke?" she asked, looking up at him with anxious eyes.

"Right now, we are going to hang out here. Edgar has agreed to let you seek refuge here for the time being. Everything will be alright."

"Hmm, well Edgar told me you were a thief, and so did a few maids!" Terra grinned, trying to joke.

"Ack, really? I'm just a treasure hunter. I'm also Edgar's contact with the Returners, by the way. On the surface Edgar pretends to be allies with the Empire, but really, he's with us. We're a resistance movement! Neat, huh?"

"But...aren't I a soldier of the Empire?"

Locke walked over and sat on the bed next to her, "You were, but things are different now. They were controlling you. You used to be their slave, but everything is different now. Okay?"

Terra shook her head, feeling confused, "I don't...understand. What should I do?"

"You have the choice to choose now. Your free will is back, and I'm sure you must be confused. Don't think too much about it, that might give you a head ache, trust me. Your way will become clear to you eventually." He stood up then after giving her a clap on the back.

"Good night, Terra," the thief said, leaving with a wave.

"Good night..." she lay back on her covers, "Free will...choices?"

_A/N: Yes, this is from one of my older versions of the story. I still like how it is written and decided to keep it in this novelization. I added a few things, of course, and fixed some little mistakes. I hope it was a good read! The next chapter will have a lot of politics and stuff like that. Thank you for reading! :D _


	6. Castle Under Attack

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Castle Under Attack**

**A/N: I'm sorry about taking so long to update!  
**

Edgar's hand toyed with the soft petals of a red rose that stood together with its friends in a tall vase, finding himself more interested in the fresh flowers than listening to his men argue over things. His Chancellor and top security guard were bickering over what protocols to follow in the event of the Empire attacking.

The king knew that matters were growing worse down on the Southern Continent, and that they would eventually lead up to his realm. He also had a clear idea of the course of action that they should take, but meetings were required so that everybody could decide together and understand.

"If we just have an extra set of guards patrol our boarders, we should be fine!" the armored general tried explaining, his voice growing with each word.

"We are no match if those scoundrels decide to charge us with their Magitek Armor Units! Spears and rifles will be useless in combat with the Imperial army. Those monsters are too powerful," the Chancellor retorted, slapping the tabletop forcefully.

"After that meeting yesterday, I'm sure Mister Jester will be back for more," the guardsman said, looking angry.

A red haired maid swept into the room, her skirts swishing about as she sat the tea tray down in the middle of the table where the men were gathered. Then, a plump, faired haired maid came in with a tray of snacks to accompany the tea.

After pouring the tea for each gentleman, they hurried away to finish their next duties for the day.

"Oh, tea is the perfect beverage to soothe one's mind and calm the senses," Edgar sighed, sipping his drink carefully so as not to burn his mouth. His happiness interrupted the arguing, and put it to a stop for a few moments due to a relatively new Figaroan custom. Each of his men stopped their argument, just as they were about to bring up new support for their views, to take a gulp of tea.

"_Damn such frivolous rules! We have much to worry about!__"_ thought the general, who was never much of a tea drinker.

To put a further hindrance to their quarreling, Edgar put his right hand up, signaling that he wished to speak without interruption.

"Now, hopefully that little break gave you both a bit of clarity. I am very surprised at the two of you for forgetting one of Figaro's best and important secrets. In the event that we are attacked, we shall use our special defense. It has protected our kingdom and its people for decades, and shall certainly work once more when the situation comes."

The king took a tasty looking finger sandwich from the neat platter before continuing, "Though, we must only use the defense in the event of attack. In the meantime, let us have more troops patrol our borders for show. The Empire does not have the intelligence to know what the people of Figaro are capable of, so we must act as if we are easy to plow over."

Edgar nibbled his sandwich a bit, smiling at his general and Chancellor.

"So, you want us to pretend that we do not know of the Empire's movements? Or rather, of their having their sights set on us?" the general asked, taking a sandwich as well.

"Exactly!" Edgar replied, his eyes shining with excitement.

"We all know now of what happened in Narshe, and I had a couple of my spies travel south to see if the ship that brought the Imperial troops was still there. And they are. What can we presume from this?"  
"War," the Chancellor grimaced, shaking his head in distress.

"Not quite. As long as we can prevent any further movement of their troops, we can avoid conflict as long as possible," the king finished his sandwich and grabbed up a bite sized piece of cake.

"In addition, my liege, we could presume that the Empire is going to try to have a meeting to see which side we are on. I think that would be their strategy because we are too large and prosperous a nation to burn," the head guard submitted, taking another sip of his tea.

"Good thinking, John. The Emperor would not attack unless he was sure we are against him, or if he wanted to have us bow down to him quicker. Perhaps being allies will not be enough anymore…" Edgar trailed off, his little cake gone, and his teacup cradled in his fingers.

The Chancellor and the head guardsman finished their meeting by drawing up plans for their patrols, and saluted their king before taking leave.

Once alone, Edgar rose slowly to go into his library across the hallway. He tugged a rope to have the servants take away the leftover food as he left.

His library was a womb made out of literature. Polished shelves lined the walls with leather bound volumes brimming out. He made his way to one of his favorite armchairs to curl up with a book he had been reading sporadically. Being a king and having kingly duties prevented him from his reading, so he relished the hour or so he had to read his latest mechanical engineering volume.

A brilliant inventor from the south wrote many books throughout his life, and Edgar ordered a new volume once every few months since he was a lad. He never got to meet that man, but he often dreamed that he did.

Edgar was dreaming of just that when Matron found him with his stocking feet brought up to his chest, his arms curling around his heavy book with love like it was a teddy bear.

Matron smiled, walking quietly in her slippers over to her king to tap him gently on the shoulder, "King Edgar, dear, wake up long enough to get to your bed. I bet you would prefer your chocobo feather pillows to this drafty room."

The king groaned, mumbling something about gears.

The older woman sighed, "Up and at 'em!" and she heaved the king up so he was leaning on her. His book tumbled to the floor, pages flopped about. Matron picked up his book and sat it on the arm of his chair before going slowly to the door with the king basically dragging behind her.

"Mmmmatron…" he mumbled, clutching at her robes like a child.

"Yes, dear?" she replied, settling his arms in a more comfortable position on her.

"You won't believe it…cogs and gears can be made of copper…" he slurred, making sleepy sounds as they went. The two had reached the passageway that led to his bed chambers and passed many guards who were not new to seeing their king slumped on his governess.

A guard or two did snicker at the sight however.

"Oh really, dear? That sounds wonderful. Are you going to try it?" Matron asked gently, leading Edgar to his door around the corner.

"It's amazing…never thought of it."

"Here we are, Edgar, your bed is right ahead," Matron said, nodding to the young maids as they snapped to attention and curtsied before hurrying to tend to the fireplace, draw back the covers on Edgar's bed, fluff his cushions, pull off his socks, and many other little nightly duties along those lines. Two maids helped settle the king in his bed, and all the while he was going on about gears and different oils he could use on them.

Matron gathered his clothes and tut-tutted at the state of his socks, "That boy will never take care of his socks! How does he get these scraggly holes within one day?"

The maids giggled and said that it must be all of his prancing down in the engine rooms, to which Matron laughed as well.

The governess settled herself in a chair near the fire and darned his socks with her needle and thread. It was a quick, but meditative job as the fire burned and crackled pleasantly in the grate. After the socks were repaired, she pulled her knitting from her sewing basket and resumed her work on a new pair of woolen socks for the king.

* * *

In the early morning, when the sun was just about to start rising over the desert sands, the Figaro guardsmen spied a curious sight from their perch atop the highest tower. One used a spyglass to see the odd thing more clearly, and made out two suits of Magitek Armor with the Imperial emblem blazing bright scarlet.

"What is it, do you think?" asked one of the guards, sipping his coffee from his mug slowly. He wiped at his moustache with a handkerchief.

"Oh my gods," was all the other guard could manage to say as he shoved the spyglass into his companion's free hand.

"Humph, must be good, huh?" the mustached guard asked, setting his mug down and squinted into the glass. He saw the enormous metal contraptions moving over the sands at a steady pace.

"What the hell do they think they're doing?" he muttered, seeing the two soldiers who were operating the armor, and the colorful fellow sitting behind one of the soldiers.

"What should we do?" the younger guard asked, looking fearfully in the direction of the dots on the horizon that were growing with every second.

"Should we alert the other guards? Do you think that they know?"

Before the older guard could respond, a blast shook the castle, followed by the roar of a very large flame on the eastern side of the palace. Confused shrieking and screaming issued from inside the castle walls, and the older guard dashed to the button built into the wall of the tower. After pressing it, a loud siren sounded, alerting everybody within the vicinity of the attack despite the very obvious booming sound that made it obvious.

The younger guard trained his eyes into the horizon once more only to see one of the Magitek Armors well up power in the canon on the front of the machine and shoot it at the castle. The next blast sent him to the floor, banging his knees painfully. His comrade fell sideways, his arms shielding his face from any falling objects.

"Come on, we gotta go help downstairs!" shouted the guard, ignoring the pain as he pulled his older comrade with him down the hatch leading to the main castle.

The castle seemed to be in chaos as maids, guards, servants, and citizens ran about, all trying to find water to douse the flames that were quickly spreading across the castle. The stones were being blackened, and the tapestries adorning the outside walls of the courtyard were being burned up rapidly.

Matron rushed into Edgar's bedchambers to find him already dressed and hurriedly packing a leather backpack with clothes, food from his private stash, and money.

"Your highness! We're under attack!" she gasped, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I know, Matron. We must act fast. Send somebody to tell Locke and Terra to wait on the roof of their building if they can! Be safe!" the king hurried away, his cape flapping behind him as he made his way to the main castle to help stop the assault if he could.

Terra woke with a start when she felt and heard the ground shaking boom from outside. Her bed shook, nearly making her land on her face on the floor.

Instinct kicked in, making Terra hop out of bed and throw on her floral patterned red dress. She was slipping her feet into her boots, deciding that her stockings would take too long, when Locke burst in, his bag already strapped to his back.

"Come on, Terra! We gotta out of here! Grab your stuff and follow me!" the thief shouted over the roaring of the fires and blasts outside.

She snatched up her bag and ran after her friend into the hall and up a flight of stairs leading up. Once outside and atop their adjoining building, they could see the Magitek Armors at rest in front of the castle.

"_T__hose must be the machines I heard about."_ Terra thought, remembering that apparently she had once been a pilot for Magitek Armor. The emblems on the suits of armor matched the one sewn into her bag, she noticed. The sight of the contraptions made something rise in her mind, but she pressed it back because there were more important things going on right then.

Locke grabbed her arm and guided her to a safe portion of the rooftop where the stone walls were high and away from the flames. From where they were, they could see Edgar running down the courtyard towards a colorful figure who was flanked by two guards armed with guns.

"Kefka!" he shouted, anger taking over his features.

The court mage laughed gleefully, his hands on his hips, "Yes, kingy?"

"What on earth are you doing?! Why are you attacking my castle?" Edgar came to a stop a few feet from the colorful man.

"Bring us the girl! We know you are harboring her, and we are not leaving until you hand the little witch over!" Kefka explained.

"I do not have the girl! Stop this at once!" Edgar cried, stamping his foot, enraged at the fact that his kingdom was in flames.

"Well then, prepare for a barbeque!" Kefka laughed, dancing about mockingly.

The king stormed back up the steps, passing guards who were shouting for more water, and stopped his chancellor for a moment.

"Prepare our defense, now! Alert everybody but _those_ people. When I give the signal, engage it!" Edgar hissed, nodding before he turned towards the low stone wall.

Down on the ground, a guardsman was struggling to hold on to the reins of a group of chocobos who were spooked by the fires. Edgar whistled to him, motioning what he needed as Kefka pranced up after him.

"Have you changed your mind, Eddy-dear? Willing to own up to your lie?" the mage inquired, giggling.

"I have no choice, I am afraid…" the king sighed, turning away from the painted man.

"Eh? What's that?"

Edgar put his boot up on the ledge and kicked off, sending himself over the side and landing on a chocobo that his guard had released at the right moment.

Kefka screeched angrily, trying to see where the king was headed.

"HA! You better run clown!" Edgar called up, Kefka was confused.

The castle rumbled from deep within the engine room and shook violently. Kefka nearly tumbled off the side.

Terra and Locke jumped down to their own chocobos as Edgar lead them underneath the connecting bridge. The three steered their chocobos to the front of the castle gates and Edgar shouted up to the Chancellor, "NOW! DIVE!"

The Chancellor shot him a thumb's up sign and started down into the castle, while the other guards hurried inside as the castle's rumbling grew louder and more violent. Kefka had in fact fallen over the side and cried out as the castle started sinking into the sands. The trio was running away from the submerging castle and heard a guard cry from inside, "No one can touch the people of Figaro!"

Edgar, leading Terra and Locke away from the sinking castle, looked back, seeing the palace nearly submerged into the desert sands. He smiled, feeling proud of his people for reacting and doing their best in a time of crises.

Kefka was scrambling away from the castle on his hands and knees, afraid of getting sucked down into the sands with it. His two soldiers were on the other side of the large palace, also trying to get away as quickly as their feet could manage.

The blond man squinted up, his painted face scrunched up due to the sand flying about, and saw the retreating figures in the distance on their chocobos.

"Gods damn them!" he snarled, jumping to his feet once safely away from the rumbling sands.

"I will not stand for this! I will not fail!" he clenched his fists at his sides, not noticing that a new set of rumbling sounds were issuing from nearby. His soldiers had gotten into their Magitek Armors and came back to await further orders from their superior.

"Sir!" they shouted in unison, saluting from up in their cockpits.

Kefka turned on them, pointing to the figures that were growing smaller and smaller, "GO! Get them, now! I need that girl!"

Without another word, the men took off, cranking levers and pushing buttons on their control panels to make their armor units move faster over the sand dunes. The soldiers saw the trio on their big yellow birds, and when they could make out the girl's mint hair flying out behind her, one of the men fired his tek laser.

The bolt of energy narrowly missed the young woman, who cried out from surprise when she saw the laser shooting dangerously close to her. It connected with a cactus, making the plant burst into thousands of pieces. Their chocobos flipped out when they saw the laser. The bird flapped their wings wildly, squawked frantically, and scurried around, scared out of their minds.

"Shit!" Locke said through gritted teeth, "Looks like we got some company!"

"Looks like it, indeed! Shall we give them a good fight?!" Edgar replied, grabbing something from his pack and jumping off of his chocobo.

Locke and Terra tugged on the reins of their steeds, and followed suit.

The Imperial soldiers were still coming when the king started firing steel arrows from his modified crossbow. Some arrows merely plinked off the hull of the armor, but a few well aimed shots struck the soldier inside.

The Imperial screamed in pain, being pinned back into his chair by the arrows going through his stomach, he smashed his fist on to a button. More lasers erupted from his canon, though they were not going where he wanted. The king and young woman ducked out of the way of the raining lasers, having to keep moving for more kept coming at them.

The other soldier was having quite a time dealing with the thief, who he had dealt a few blows with the arms of his armor. Locke had leaped up and clinging to the side of the cockpit, he tried hacking away at the Imperial with his dagger. The Magitek Armor shook this way and that, and finally flung the thief off into a sand dune.

With blood starting to drip from his mouth, the soldier with arrows stabbing his abdomen flung one of his mechanical legs at the king and young woman, knocking the girl backwards hard. Edgar had dived out of the way in time, and saw Terra coughing and clutching her stomach nearby.

Just as he was about to help her up, the girl shot a hand out towards the Magitek Armor advancing on her.

She glared up at the mechanical beast, and chanted, "Fire!" A growing blaze appeared out of thin air, and shot at the soldier, hitting him dead on. Before the soldier could return the attack, Terra sent three more spells at him, each more powerful than the last.

With a "BOOM!" the contraption blew to pieces.

Locke, who had latched back on to the other soldier's Magitek Armor, saw what happened, and let go as Terra started sending fire spells directed at the next soldier.

The man inside screamed as his armor blew up, and like his comrade, he died in a blazing inferno of machine parts.

Terra stood watching the flames engulf the Magitek Armor as she panted, surprised with herself for having so much energy to do all of that damage. She wiped a hand at her forehead, finding herself sweating from the spells. She turned back to find the chocobo with her red bag and saw Edgar frozen in place a few yards behind her, staring with his mouth hanging open.

Locke came up behind Terra and clapped her on the back, "Thanks for the help back there!"

The two walked up to Edgar, both wondering when he would say something.

"Hey, Edgar?" Locke said.

"Uhm, Edgar? Are you alright?" Terra asked, touching his arm lightly.

The king stared down at her, astounded at what he had just witnessed.

"Yo, man! Talk to us! What's up?" Locke asked, poking the king's shoulder hard.

"LOCKE! DID YOU SEE THAT JUST NOW?" Edgar screeched.

"See what? Terra saving your ass?"

"THAT WAS AMAZING!"

"…" Terra swayed backwards at that, surprised by all of the shouting coming from the king.

"Calm down, man!" Locke grabbed his shoulders, trying to shake him out of it.

"Do not you know what that was? It was MAGIC!" Edgar shouted, pushing Locke backwards into a sand dune in his excitement.

"What the hell? I know! Jeez, ya didn't have to push me!" Locke snapped, annoyed, trying to get up, but his hands kept sinking into the sand.

"But I have never seen it before! I just- It was-!" Edgar stumbled over his words, and turned briskly to Terra, who was looking down at her boots, determined to avoid being part of the conversation.

"Where on earth did you learn that, Terra?" the king asked, eyes shining.

"I-well, um…" she stuttered, blushing and unsure how to explain. Realizing how he was reacting, Edgar snapped out of it and made himself calm down.

Terra looked back to her shoes and sighed, feeling even more out of the ordinary.

"I am so sorry, Terra. I just…"

"Over reacted?" Locke suggested from the ground, with his behind still stuck in the sand dune.

"Yes, that!" Edgar said, trying to make everything better.

"Look, the only difference between us is that Terra can use magic. And I think it's a mighty cool ability, if you ask me! We could definitely use your help Terra, and I'm sure you would love to see some new towns along the way. Now, speaking of help…" Locke pointed down at himself, still stuck in the dune. Edgar grabbed the thief's hand and heaved, pulling him out of the sand.

"Goodness, you are heavy." Edgar grinned, going back to his chocobo that had started gnawing on a bit of cactus.

Terra laughed a little before saying, "I'll do my best to help out if any more soldiers come after us." Locke gave her a grin, "That'll help a lot!"

"We should probably get moving. I think somebody over there is rather angry with us," the king said as he hoisted himself into his saddle, pointing in the direction of a colorful hopping figure that was letting loose a string of obscenities that could barely be heard over the desert wind.

Terra hurried over to her chocobo, and got into her seat, looking worried over the figure in the distance. She did not like the sound of what he was saying.

Once Locke was in his seat, the trio took off towards the south.

On the back of a chocobo, the desert heat was not as noticeable because of the speed they were going. The sun signaled that it was about mid-morning, and a few wispy clouds were gathering in the sky. The chocobos were very fast, and they never got tripped up or had their feet sink in the sands because of the shape of their feet.

Terra pulled her water bottle from her bag and took a big gulp. They had not had any breakfast yet, nor anything to drink, and her stomach growled a bit.

Her chocobo pulled up next to Edgar's, and she heard that her two companions were in conversation.

"We need to go see Banon and figure out our next move."

"Indeed, I am sure that Kefka will report to the Emperor that we have escaped their attacks."

"After that failed raid of Figaro, they'll definitely be on our tails soon. We gotta keep an eye out," Locke said, smiling when he saw Terra listening in.

"Hey, Terra, how ya feeling?" he asked, seeing that she had her water out.

"I'm alright. So, those people will be after us?" she inquired, trying to keep up with their plans.

Edgar spoke then, "Yes, unfortunately. My castle is safe from any further attack, but the Empire will most likely set their sights on South Figaro, and us."

"And, those were bad people, right?"

"Well…" the king trailed off, wondering how to explain fully. He did not want to sway her from one side to another without explaining everything.

"There is good and bad in everybody, and the Empire is no exception. Just because one or two people may be calling the shots, that doesn't mean that all of its citizens are bad. But, the leader of the Empire wants to start a war, and he already has with what just happened," Locke said, looking ahead and seeing only sand.

Terra looked ahead too, "Where are we going?"

"We are going to South Figaro to stock up on supplies, and then we will go to the Returner's hideout in the Sabil Mountains," Edgar told her, looking reassuring.

"Only a couple more hours or so until we reach the cave," Locke said, straightening his bandanas.

"I cannot wait for you to meet our leader, Terra. He will greatly enjoy meeting you," the king said, looking excited.

Terra nodded a little, remembering what Locke had told her about the Returners. She really wanted to find some things out about herself.

"Arvis told me back in Narshe about how the frozen esper seemed to have a reaction to you Terra. Is there some sort of connection that you remember?" the thief asked, hoping that she would not feel uncomfortable.

"I haven't the foggiest! The first thing I remember is waking up in his house. And using my powers feels natural to me," Terra replied, wracking her brain for anything else.

"But, humans cannot use magic, can they?" Edgar wondered out loud, slowing his chocobo some.

Terra felt sadness wash over her, and felt herself feeling smaller and smaller. Edgar leaned over and patted her on the back gently and apologized. She nodded, understanding that he was only trying to make sense of everything, and gave him a little smile.

The group continued on towards the south, enjoying the sunshine as they went, and did not stop once until they reached a cave opening that would lead them to South Figaro.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you all for reading! Let me know if there are any little blips that I might have missed. Also, feedback on the story so far would be great! _


	7. Curious Lodgings

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Curious Lodgings  
**

**A/N: I'm sorry about taking so long to update. I recently started a part-time job that has taken up much of my free time along with college.**

Traveling by chocobo was very speedy indeed, and as the morning went by, the small party was carried closer and closer to their destination. It took Terra a while to grow used to the jostling ride atop her chocobo, and she had to remember not to grip too tightly in the chocobo's feathers.

The morning went on, with Locke talking about various things as the king and lady listened, both enjoying the easy way of the thief's voice. He especially focused on the topic of South Figaro, knowing that his descriptions of the large and interesting city would please Terra. Edgar enjoyed his comrade's descriptions as well because he did not have the opportunity to venture away from his castle walls too often.

Edgar's heart fluttered as Locke talked on about the bustling marketplace with vendors peddling their wares, the lavish inns with delicious foods to try, the cobblestoned streets with children chasing each other, and the numerous shops they would visit. When the rogue mentioned one shop in particular, Edgar spoke, "We cannot go into that one, Locke. You got into a bit of trouble last time you visited, from what I heard, and I am sure that the shopkeeper has not forgotten your face."

Looking shocked at the mere thought, "That was a complete lie! I didn't take anything at all…of _importance_, anyways."

The king cocked an eyebrow to that, as if to say, "Oh, really?"

"Oh, you shut your trap, kingy. We'll have Terra believing I'm a bad guy," Locke huffed.

"If she has not figured that out on her own yet, I would be very surprised," Edgar replied coolly, grinning as his friend scowled. Terra was sent into a fit of giggles at this exchange, knowing that Locke's moral compass did not point north very often from what she had observed.

Locke was now being silent, leaving Terra to her own thoughts. She enjoyed the heat of the desert, and the dry air that lay about them as they sped further south. Her travel pack bounced against her back as her chocobo climbed up and down the sand dunes, and her hair flew behind her in a swirl of green curls. The young woman loved the feeling of the wind in her tresses and the sunshine on her skin.

Terra painted the images that Locke described in her mind, hoping that her imagination was close to the real city.

Edgar, meanwhile, was wishing that he brought his book with him from the library. His chocobo knew where to go, so he could have been using their now quiet ride to catch up on his reading. But, he knew that they would be arriving at the cave leading to his southern realm soon due to the sea breezes blowing in their direction. He could smell the salt and the unique ocean scent the farther they went.

"Do you feel that change in the breeze, Terra?" the king asked, calling her out of her thoughts.

The young woman paid attention to the air for a moment, before nodding with a smile.

"We're near the ocean, aren't we?" she asked, feeling sure that she was correct.

"My, my, you must remember it, then. You are right, my dear," said Edgar, happy for the girl.

Terra thought for a second, images flashing across her mind's eye as she breathed in the salty air. The sight of churning grey waters and many men dressed in similar uniforms waiting on a stone bridge entered her mind. A man with tanned skin and blond hair that stood up, smiling at her as he went by on a chocobo, was conversing with another man. A town was the backdrop, she recalled, and many of the buildings were damaged.

"Yes, I do remember something. A cloudy day in a town," said she, trying to make sense of the memory. It lingered in her head as a mountain range came into view on the horizon. The peaks grew larger and wider as they came closer. They could see the faint snow covering the tallest peaks, and over an especially large sand dune, they saw the cave opening.

A patch of pale green was visible around the opening, and it continued along the edge of the mountains to the south.

Edgar spied one of his guards at the entrance of the cave with one of the royal chocobos, and waved, hoping to catch his attentions.

"Commander Serrat! How is everything in this neck of the woods?" Edgar called, using the phrase that Locke helped come up with to show that he was really who he was. The commander snapped to attention before replying, "All's well here by the sea!"

The group dismounted from their chocobos once they were close enough to the cave, all making sure that their travel packs was strapped to their shoulders. The commander came up to the king and whispered something to him.

"So our cavalry has been wiped out," Edgar sighed, lowering his head in respect for a moment.

"Indeed, sire. Kefka and his men blasted at us with their tek lasers. The general and myself managed to get away with little damage," Serrat explained, his fingers raking against a charred piece of cloth tied to his forearm.

"How many men did Kefka have with him?" Edgar asked quickly, glancing at the burned cloth a moment.

"Only two, sire. That's the scary part. It was only Kefka, and two Magitek riding soldiers who got us. They took us by surprise pair by pair as we patrolled the desert outskirts like you ordered. It's almost as if he was anticipating that move."

"Did he even get the guards who were patrolling the forests and those who were watching the Vectorian ship?"

"Excuse me, sire?" Serrat looked confused, raising his eyebrows.

"Did you not know about them?"

"Well, no, sire. I suppose not. Would that mean-?"

"That Kefka may not know about them either. It looks like we Figaroans have another shot at that clown," Edgar grinned, earning a relieved laugh from his commander.

The king settled his bag straps into a more comfortable position before continuing, "Commander Serrat? Would you please return to the castle with our chocobos? Or, if they have not resurfaced yet, could you bring them to our stable by the sea?"

"Of course, my liege! I will gladly let everybody know that you are all right," the commander bowed and saluted his king before attaching the three reins to his chocobo saddle with a rope, and setting off.

Locke and Terra both waved as the guard rode off towards the castle with their steeds.

"Whew. Looks like we have to rough it on foot from now on!" Locke exclaimed, stretching his thin legs out.

"Why couldn't we bring them with us?" Terra asked because she had been hoping to keep her feathery friend longer.

"Chocobos tend to get spooked in caves, and if we really needed them, we would have to go through the mountain passes with them. Also, some of the passages in these caverns are a tad bit on the narrow side, and those fatties would have gotten stuck," said Locke.

"Believe me, Terra. Those passes are nothing but trouble! Thieves hide in the cliff shadows to surprise travelers and everything."

"Bet you have done that line of work too, you rake, you," the king snickered, elbowing the thief in the side hard. This earned a chuckle from the man before he changed the subject.

"Anyways, we gotta be careful in the caves too, because who knows what's creeping around in there. I come through often enough, but I see something new every time," Locke continued, casting an eye to the mountains looming overhead.

Locke led his comrades into the caves and pulled out a pack of matches to light the torches that could barely be seen on the cave walls. Light flooded the area, to Terra's relief, who had seen little snippets of memory set in the caves of Narshe when they had entered.

Fortunately for her, there was no snow blowing into the entrance, nor any rats skittering around their boots. The cave felt cool once they advanced farther inside, and water could be heard dripping down from somewhere.

As the thief lit another torch, a body of water was now visible directly ahead of them. The dripping sound came from the stalactites above the pool, where the water fell down with little splashes every few moments.

"This was formed from the snow on top of the mountains, right?" Terra asked, feeling sure that she was correct.

Edgar gave her an intrigued look before nodding, chalking it up to the girl merely recalling things.

"We can refill our bottles here," said Locke, kneeling down at the water's edge with one of his bottles uncorked. The thief dipped it under the water, with bubbles gurgling as it filled up, and started pulling more bottles out of his bag.

"It is a good habit of yours to keep so many empty potion bottles with you; I seem to have forgotten a canteen of my own," the king said rummaging in his royal blue bag.

"Well, it can't be helped," Locke replied, "Here, you can have these. I have many more in my rucksack."

"How do you carry all of those supplies around like that, Locke? It must get heavy," the mint haired woman asked, dipping her own empty bottle into the spring.

"Years of experience!" he laughed, "I've been traveling for many years now, ya know. Muscles get stronger as time goes on."

Something bumped into Terra's hand as she was pulling her bottle out of the spring, causing her to look down abruptly, catching the attention of her companions in the process.

That something had a large shell that had to have been a foot or two across, with a big scaly head that poked out from the surface of the spring. Once she made eye contact with the creature, and kept its gaze for a few seconds, she smiled and reached a hand out to pat its head.

But the creature obviously did not want to comply, because it let out the oddest screechy sound and flung itself underwater.

"What in the world..." the thief said, scratching at his head. The king started chuckling to himself quietly as he patted Terra's back.

"Don't take any offense, I am sure that Mister Turtle was just shy," Edgar told the young woman, still chuckling.

The group walked through the caves carefully after their turtle incident, and indulged in Locke's need to check for any hidden treasures. They went off into side sections of the caves, following the thief as he seemed to know exactly where some of the treasures were. He would press his hands into indents in the stone walls, making trapdoors appear with boxes inside.

Terra drank from one of her water containers greedily as Locke fiddled with a rock to the side, remembering that they had not even had breakfast yet. Her body felt more awake and alive after she finished, refreshed, just as Locke had told them earlier. Her stomach was full also, making her hunger cease for a while. The sea green haired girl counted how many bottles she had left, relieved that she had gathered so many. If they did not reach South Figaro that day, at least she had plenty of water to drink. Still holding her almost empty container, Terra examined their surroundings, how the rock walls jutted out in random places, and how the tunnels seemed to lead to the same place. The treasure chests during their trek through the caves contained things like tonics and antidotes.

The bottles even had labels pasted on them explaining what they did.

"Antidote cures poison," the mint haired girl thought, hoping she would remember that information when the time to use it arises.

The group stopped by a set of stairs cut into the stone that led up into a room with treasures hiding in the stalactites to rest for a moment. Terra leaned back against the opposite wall, and instead of remaining there comfortably, the rock wall gave away with a thunderous noise. The mage fell backwards, letting out a yelp in surprise.

"TERRA!" Edgar shouted. Acting quickly, the king grabbed hold of her legs and pulled as hard as he could, sliding the young woman out of the hole and the way of falling rocks. Then the thief pushed his friends towards the exit as quickly as he could. Looking back for a moment, Locke saw that the cave was not falling completely. It was just that section that Terra leaned against that was falling in on itself.

Outside, the king and mage were breathing hard and trying to calm themselves down while Locke rubbed his chin in thought.

"What could have caused that hole?" Terra asked, wondering if it came from weathering or if it was simply normal for caves to have holes form in such a way.

"I'm not sure…" said Locke, dusting off his jacket.

"It is strange that it happened to us. You would think that if such an occurrence were normal, it would be reported more often. Or it would be spoken about more," Edgar said, nonchalantly flapping Terra's hair ribbons with his hand to rid them of dust.

"Thanks for that," chirped Terra, "and thanks for pulling me out of that hole." The king gave her a lady killing smile to which she returned with a pretty little smile of her own.

"Maybe we can find out more once we get into town," Locke replied, grabbing Edgar's ponytail and shaking it free of dust roughly.

After the group was finished shaking, flapping, swishing, and brushing the dirt and dust free from their clothes and well, everywhere else it got into, they started off into the pleasantly warm valley.

The sun was high, and the wind was blowing gently through the tall grasses. Terra felt a little sore from her fall, but as she started trying to cast cure on herself, Edgar handed her a bottle that said "Tonic" on the label.

"I am sure that using your magic makes you tired, so why not try one of these, my dear?"

Terra nodded, saying, "That's true, thank you very much." She uncorked the bottle and drank half of the pale green tonic. The drink bubbled in her throat, and burned slightly on the way down, causing her to cough from the sensation. But despite the bubbling feeling that did not go away for several minutes, she did feel better. Her bruises started fading from her arms, and her back eased some. The mage figured that she would drink the remainder after they stopped for another rest.

The group traveled on for hours, stopping every so often to rest on large stones, or to sit in the tall grasses and let their legs rest. A few times, Locke and Edgar played around in the grasses, rolling around in it and laughing. They invited Terra to give it a go, and she soon discovered that rolling in the plain's grasses was very enjoyable indeed, but it left her arms itching like the dickens.

Soon, a building appeared in the distance.

Edgar spotted it first due to being the tallest in height, and he pointed at it excitedly. The party decided to make for the building and perhaps settle there for the night, if the people who were possibly there would allow them to.

Terra could finally see the building once they were significantly closer because she was the smallest of the party.

There was a vegetable patch to the side of the house, along with a well, and a bench next to the door for people to sit on. The house looked cozy and seemed to be the only one for miles.

"Have you ever been here before, Locke?" asked Terra, having to jog to keep up with her long legged friends.

"I've passed it by before, but I've never stopped to say 'hello,'" replied Locke, slowing his pace down to match Terra's.

"I usually don't go this far north. There's nothing up here really besides farm lands and wild animals."

"If the person living there is a farmer of some sort, surely he would let us stay in his barn or something if he did not have a spare room for us," Edgar said hopefully.

The group reached the door to the house and Locke knocked on the wood loudly, just in case the owner was hard of hearing. But no sounds from inside came. There were no shuffling sounds of feet, or a reply, not even an angry shout to "go away!"

"Perhaps they have stepped out…" the king wondered, rubbing his chin.

"To where? It looks as if it's been abandoned for some time," replied Terra who was peeking into a low window with her hands cupped around her eyes so she could peer in without the sun glaring on the glass.

"What do you mean?" asked Locke, going to her side to look in too, "Oh, I see. Look at all of that dust!"

"It looks like we can stay here for the night, then!" Edgar chuckled, grabbing the doorknob and opening the door wide.

The smell of dust and old soup filled their noses, causing each to cringe slightly as they stepped inside the small house.

Light filtered into the one room house through thin white curtains adorning all four windows. There were three beds, each neatly made with the quilts tucked underneath carefully. A table big enough for a handful of people to eat at had one place made already, but the plate and silverware had a layer of dust coating them. The glass was knocked over on to the tablecloth, and whatever had been in the cup had left a small stain.

A tea kettle sat on top of a small stove, and a large cooking pot had been left in the fireplace. Terra looked inside the pot and found the source of the soup stench. She decided to try dumping the rancid contents out behind the house, and found that the pot was on the heavy side.

Edgar, who had been inspecting the cupboards, turned his head as heard the young woman heaving the pot towards the open door, yelped, "My lady! Please! Let me help you with that! You will strain yourself doing such things!" He took the handle from her hands and carried it outside for her quickly, and returned with a smile.

"Thank you Edgar, but I could have done that myself."

"It does not hurt to ask for assistance when it is needed, my dear," he smiled, finding her response endearing.

Locke started snickering into his hand at the exchange, before interjecting with, "You know, guys? We need to change up your looks before we go into town tomorrow."

His two comrades eyed him curiously; Edgar's brow knitting together as he looked himself up and down quickly and quite spastically while Terra took a strand of her mint hair in her hand, frowning slightly.

"Why would I want to change my appearance, Locke? Are you trying to make yourself look better to the ladies?" Edgar asked with a grin.

"Nah, I don't need help there. But look at yourself _King _Edgar, don't cha think you're a little…regal looking?"

The blond pouted for a moment, "Alright, I do understand your thinking here. But I only have a set of my work clothing with me…do you think it will be enough?"

Terra sat herself down at the dining table, setting her bag down as she did so, and watched as Locke and Edgar scrutinized the button up shirt and goggles that the king produced from his bag.

"We'll have to add a few touches here and there, like lose your silly ribbons, but this should do fine."

"I like my silly ribbons though. They give me character as a monarch. You do not see the King of Doma or the Emperor wearing such accessories!"

"I wonder why…"

That comment earned Locke a smack to the back of his head as Edgar stood to go set his belongings on a bed near the east window.

"What about me, Locke? Are there wanted posters up of me or something?" asked Terra, hoping to move things along and keep her friends from bickering any longer.

"I do not believe that South Figaro would put up wanted posters of a person wanted by the Gestalian Empire," Edgar said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I meant that we need to do something about your hair. Bright green isn't really a normal color for hair in these parts. Maybe in Jidoor, but South Figaro isn't quite there yet," Locke explained, rubbing the spot where Edgar struck as he crossed the room to check the water tap. Nothing came out when he waited for gurgling sounds that signaled old pipes. It looked like they would have to draw up water from the well if they wanted tea or coffee that evening.

"Oh, I do enjoy those nifty fashions in Jidoor. They are, as Locke says, cranking out new styles every month!" Edgar chimed in, clapping his hands together in merriment before he started listing off the various fashions he liked and wanted to sample. His chatter was drowned out by Locke clamoring about in the kitchen area with his opening and closing of cupboards and cabinets.

"We're not going to change my hair color are we?" Terra asked in a loud voice to be heard. She rather liked her hair, no matter how odd it seemed to others. Yes, she noticed the stares of the maids and Figaroan guardsmen and other various inhabitants of the castle, but it did not bother her very much.

"No, no, no, don't worry on that, Ter," Locke said, handling some dishes on the counter.

"Ter?" she repeated as her head cocked to one side.

"I'm just going to wrap a bandana around your head or something to hide it is all!" the thief nearly shouted, giving Edgar a frustrated look because the king had not stopped talking on about the frilly coats and what not that he wanted to try on.

Edgar finally stopped talking when Locke went outside to get a bucket of water and slammed the door in the process.

"That man is so moody at times, I swear!" Edgar laughed, making Terra think that he had chattered like that on purpose. The young woman shook her head with a small smile.

* * *

**A/N: Hello! Thank you for reading! I know I ended this chapter with a few questions left unanswered, but all shall be answered in later chapters! I know that I took ages to update this chapter, but I do hope that it is a good read. Please, leave your thoughts on this, and any little mistakes I may have made in it! Also, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in my inbox. I always welcome pms, so don't feel shy!**

**-MoogleTerra  
**


	8. Transient

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Transient**

The remainder of the party's evening passed quickly and quietly. They ate their supper and all fell asleep in the beds that they chose for the night. Terra did not dream of much, but she woke up briefly in the early hours of the morning to see a figure looking at the dishes in the cabinet against the wall several feet behind her.

At first, her sleep addled brain thought that a robber had crept in and was going to make off with the fine china. She also thought after a moment of watching silently that she could be witnessing the very activity that the castle maids described as being Locke's "bad habit."

But the figure was much taller than Locke, and was not as thin and gangly as her bandana-ed friend. In the darkness, she could just barely make out a long ponytail with bows along its length equal spaces apart.

The young lady soon started to fall back to sleep, hoping that Edgar was only looking at the dishes to be sure that they were washed properly after their meal and placed back in the same way that they found them in instead of partaking in any roguish activities.

That would certainly be most embarrassing for a noble king to sink to such things, Terra thought. She found herself drifting back into the comfortable cocoon of slumber.

The next morning, Terra did not mention the scene she had watched because even though she was unsure why exactly, she knew that it would be best to not bring it up at all. The young mage caught herself watching Edgar pack his things up in his rucksack out of the corner of her eye. She did not spy any of the pretty floral dishes amongst his belongings, and noticed that the china in the cabinet seemed to be untouched for the most part.

Of course, the mage did wonder why her newest friend was examining dishes at an hour when not even the most youthful rooster would crow. Though, that thought sent her into a bit of puzzlement with herself about where in the world that phrase came from. It had just popped into her head, and she tried to remember whether she heard Locke saying something along those lines because it sounded like something he would say, but found nothing.

She shook her head, let out a small sigh, and finished packing up the little items she had gotten out of her bag during the course of their stay in the small house. She pulled a brush through her hair swiftly and put up a new ponytail at the top of her head.

The group breakfasted on pieces of bread that was starting to turn stale that Edgar found in his pack, and on cheese that Locke had leftover. They each took a turn in the outhouse, washed up the best they could with limited resources like soap and shaving cream, and began changing their attires.

It was very fortunate that Edgar's facial hair was coming in because it would help disguise him, so Locke refused to let the king use his razor that morning even though Edgar complained about the itching. Terra decided to help transform Edgar into a more common looking gentleman, and took the velvet ribbons out of his hair. She brushed out his tawny hair and fastened it back with some string she found in the cupboard. Terra let Edgar see what she had done to his hair, and as he gazed into his hand mirror, she ruffled up his long bangs that fell to either side of his face.

"If you look a little untidy, it should help distract away from your face," the mage explained, smiling sweetly at him as he cringed for a short moment.

Locke had Edgar dress up in the only plain work shirt the king had thought to bring, tied a few spare bandanas and scarves around his waist, added some gauntlets to his arms, and made the king strap his bulky brass goggles to the top of his head. Locke also threw a pair of denims at him to replace the nice slacks.

While Edgar fussed about the pants being dirty and too short, he would look ridiculous; Terra wrapped a bandana around her head, which covered up the majority of her hair. Only a few stray green curls stuck out at her neck. She figured that it would not matter much, and if somebody noticed and asked, she would say that she was from that fancy city down south.

With everything packed up and ready, the group went out the door, only to find a man who looked to be in his fifties giving his chocobo a drink from the well.

"Hello thar!" the man greeted, smiling in a friendly manner at the young people.

"I see you stayed in Master Duncan's house for the evening. It's a nice little place, isn't it?" he pat his chocobo on the side before approaching them.

"This is Master Duncan's house?" Edgar asked, perplexed, knowing that name anywhere.

"I thought that he lived in the mountains," Edgar added, folding his arms.

"Nah, he and his pupils only train in the mountains. I haven't seen the master in weeks though," said the man, "He is usually back by now. I wonder if everything is alright. His son Vargas has a mean temper…"

"Who are you, anyways?" asked Terra, thinking it strange that the man did not even introduce himself.

"I'm a local farmer, name's Martin Acre. Duncan is my neighbor, of course! I come by while he's away to keep an eye on the place and tend his garden."

"It's nice to meet you sir, and we'll be passing through some time down the road. We'd love to stay and chat some more, but we gotta get to South Figaro by noon," Locke pressed, giving the man a nod.

Martin understood and gave them a wave as they departed, knowing that travelers always had places to be. His chocobo chirped a goodbye to the travelers, and turned to help Martin pull out weeds in the cabbage patch.

"Did you learn enough, Edgar?" asked Locke as the small party walked at a steady clip through the South Figaro valley where the grasses were very tall and wildflowers bloomed. The grass came up to Terra's waist almost, and she struggled some to keep up with her new friends who had very long legs, and had a larger stride than her.

"Somewhat," the king replied, thinking hard.

"I wonder what's keeping Master Duncan and his pupils away for so long. Maybe something…" Locke wondered out loud, but stopped short when he saw the glare Edgar was giving him.

"We'll find out when we get to South Figaro, I bet!" Terra offered, trying to break the tension between her companions.

"_I wonder why Edgar is getting worried about that Master Duncan. Are they friends or something?"_ Terra thought, hoping that Locke would fill her in once they were alone.

Edgar gave Terra a nod, his face softening when he noticed her practically jogging to keep up with them. He made his pace a bit slower so she would not have to work so hard, and leaned down to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"I am sure that you are right, my darling. We are sure to find answers in the city," the king put on his most convincing smile for the lady.

"_I do hope that we catch up with Sabin soon…"_ Edgar thought, his arm not leaving Terra's shoulder until she wiggled out of it to fix her scarves.

The small party continued south to South Figaro, each eager to arrive quickly. With their recent run in with the Empire, Locke and Edgar especially wanted to reach the town to replenish their supplies. They knew that Kefka would send troops on their tails, and hoped that they could reach the Returners hideout before the troops reached South Figaro. The threat of Figaro being taken over by the Imperial army was very real, and the king hoped that they could avoid such a thing as much as possible.

Hiding in the tall grasses, a pair of short, but menacing monsters watched the party come into their midst, and they agreed that the people looked like easy pickings. The monsters leaped out in front of the group with their large wrenches in the air, ready to strike.

"Oh, look, company! Maybe they'll fix your crossbow for you, man!" Locke grinned, pulling his dagger from its sheath and tossed his pack to the ground behind him.

"Dear Locke, my crossbow does not need any work done! Just watch!" Edgar laughed, grabbing his crossbow from his belt and aiming with one smooth motion. He pulled the trigger and sent his steel arrows flying at the round bodied creatures.

The arrows struck dead on target, but the monsters kept coming, waving their oversized wrenches wildly as they ran at the group. Locke lunged forward and ducked being whacked on the head as he slashed at one of the monsters. Dark blood dribbled from the wound, and slowed down the monster considerably.

Terra waited for Locke to get out of the way before she cast a fire spell at the monsters, flattening the one Locke attacked, and made the other scream out in anger. The monster started towards Terra, his wrench aimed for her, but she slipped out of the way as Edgar fired another round of arrows, finishing off the creature.

"Well, that was fun!" Locke laughed, crouching down beside the closest monster.

"And look! They left us a present! Check that one's pockets will you, Terra?"

"Uh, sure?" she replied, puzzled. She stuck a hand into the only pocket she could see on the monster's side, and found a bottle of potion, and a pouch of coins.

Locke had found a bag of coins too, and together, they counted up their winnings.

"So this is normal? Kill a monster and steal his possessions?" Terra asked, handing Edgar her coins because he had pockets.

"Monsters steal money from unsuspecting travelers all the time, so when we kill an attacking monster, why not take it back? They don't even use the money, they just like shiny things," the thief said, tucking the potion into Terra's bag before grabbing up his from the ground.

"There are monsters that look like humans to some extent, though, and they actually use their money they steal. They buy food mostly," Edgar told her, putting his crossbow back on his belt.

Locke, Edgar, and Terra kept an eye out for any more monsters hiding in the grass, but did not encounter anymore during their short trek.

Soon, with their quick pace through the valley and into the plains, they saw the city on the horizon.

A sea breeze reached their noses, and they could see part of the Figaroan navy ships docked in the port, along with merchant ships unloading goods. Grand houses, inns, restaurants, and shops were clustered together in a neat arrangement, and smaller houses were sprawled around the edges of the city. The party saw that other travelers were heading towards the city like them, some with chocobos pulling carts and wagons, others walking with their packs heavy on their backs.

Figaroan guards stood outside the gates, chattering with people, or nodding to the people coming in. Edgar ducked his face discretely, recognizing a few of his guards, and hoped to the high heavens that they would not blow his cover.

But they made it inside the city gates without a single "Hey, that's King Edgar!" shouted out excitedly.

Locke nudged Edgar in the rib casually, smirking at him with a look that said "lighten up!" Terra did not notice this exchange because she was too busy looking at everything she could, hoping to memorize the flower boxes hanging from windows, the shop signs nailed to the doors or hanging above suspended by a metal rod. The streets were busy and noisy, making it easy for somebody to have a conversation without being heard by anybody other than the person you are speaking to. Gentlemen and ladies walked along the cobblestones in fancy clothing that looked very nice, if overdone.

Children played in the patches of grass at every street corner around the gas lamp posts, and merchants shouted out their good deals and interesting wares.

"The cities on the Southern Continent are much larger," commented Terra, reading a sign outside of a restaurant that listed the dishes of the day.

"What do you mean? You remember something, Ter?" Locke asked, raising his eyebrows at the young woman.

"Kind of. I think I remember the capital being so much dirtier than South Figaro, though. Smog hanging in the air, grime all over," she made a face, obviously repulsed by the revolting conditions she saw in her mind.

Edgar laughed, having heard everything, "Well, unlike the Emperor, I take care of my people. Filth shows tyranny, not class and respect." Terra agreed heartily with him, and continued looking around at everything that she could.

"So, where are we headed first?" the mage inquired of Locke and Edgar, stopping a moment to read another sign on the wall of a building.

"Hmm, how about we visit the weapon shop?" said Edgar, looking over her shoulder at the sign, reading that it was a tea house.

"Yeah, it looks like we need to get Terra an upgrade. That puny knife won't do well in the mountains!"

"You're right, I'm sure that there are more monsters waiting on us," the young woman replied, looking at the knife tucked into her bandanas on her waist.

"Which way to the Weaponry shop, my good thief?" Edgar poked Locke's head, grinning.

Locke shrugged off the annoyance building in his belly, and led his two companions down a side street, pushing past people buying vegetables and meats, and past a huge waterwheel to a large building that was shared by the weapons dealer and the armor dealer.

Inside, large swords and other types of blades hung from the walls behind a long counter. Terra picked out a sword that felt comfortable in her grip, and Edgar picked out a sword a foot or longer than hers due to his height. Locke tried haggling with the weapons dealer over the price of a nifty looking dagger, but failed miserably and paid full price for it. They sold their old weapons in favor of the new blades, and walked to the next counter.

"Gods, paying five hundred gil for a dagger? Sheesh," Locke muttered, counting the rest of his money, finding that his funds were cut considerably by that purchase.

"What are you complaining for? It is not like you have never spent more than that on those gaudy necklaces around your neck!" Edgar scoffed, shaking his head.

"May I see your shields, please, sir? I seem to have left my old one somewhere," the young mage said in a calm voice to the armor dealer. The woman caught her friend's attention, and giggled a little when they stopped their bickering. For some reason she had surprised them, perhaps it was because she had been quiet since they walked into the shop. The dealer, a man with a neatly groomed mustache, placed three different shields on the counter, and told her a bit about each.

"This one here is made of hard oak, and it's best for people who need something heavy for short trips," he clarified, pointing at the far left one.

"And this one is made of a special light weight metal that the Figaroan guards and cavalry use. It protects well against the elements too, from what I've heard!" he chuckled, picturing a person using the shield as an umbrella in the rain.

"And this one?" Terra questioned, smiling her sweetest smile at the mustached man. This made his cheeks go a bit pink as he explained that the shield on the far right was for heavy battles.

"I think I'll buy this middle one. It seems good, don't you guys think?" the mage looked to her friends now, still smiling.

I'll sell it to you for three hundred and twenty five gil!" the dealer exclaimed, dropping the price down by about fifty gil. Terra nodded and fished out three big coins that were one hundred a piece, and a few smaller coins and counted them out on the counter. The man took the coins and put them in his cash register, gave Terra a receipt, and gave her the shield. She gave the dealer a pretty smile and a "thank you," before joining her friends.

Edgar then went up to the counter and picked out some new armor for himself and his companions. Terra was very pleased with herself for buying her own shield, and a bit less of a burden knowing that she helped earn the money that paid for it. She thought of mentioning that her magic could help them as far as tonics and potions went, but her energy only lasted so long when it came to magic. Locke, who had previously had his hands shoved in his pockets, watching the buying and selling go on, slipped slowly over to a clock on the mantle of a fireplace across from the counters. Terra watched out of the corner of her eye as one of his hands slithered out of the pocket and grabbed something so fluidly from the clock that one had to be watching to even see the motion.

The king had finished up his transaction, and when Terra was expecting his regal bow, he instead did a simple wave like Locke often did. The group went outside just as a few gruff looking gents walked in the door on the weaponry side of the large shop.

The mage was expecting one of the shopkeepers to shout after them, stop them because he saw Locke's little bit of thieving, but nothing happened, and the buzz of activity soon overtook them.

"What did you take?" Terra whispered up at Locke's ear, having to stand on tip toe to do so almost.

"Nothing much, just saw something shining oddly when we came in, and when I had the chance, I took it," Locke pulled the object from his pocket and revealed a cut crystal bottle with a ruby liquid inside.

"Looks like one of the shopkeepers was saving an elixir for something special…" the king chuckled, smirking at the two.

"It was a good hiding spot though," Terra replied, following a sign that led the general store without even asking her companions. She was too wrapped up in herself at the moment, thinking about how wonderful it was that nobody had mentioned her strange hair yet.

They followed, thinking it was a good a stop as any. The general store was up a flight of stairs that led to several houses and up still to the rooftops which all had a walkway built on top of them that stretched across many buildings all across town. The air was fresher on the landing in front of the general store compared to the busy streets below.

Locke stepped ahead of Terra and held the door open for her and Edgar, and once they were all inside, the thief stepped up to the counter and started chatting with the shopkeeper. Locke started to haggle, and tried his darnedest to get supplies in bulk. The shopkeeper seemed to stay stubborn; however, keeping his price consistent with what was listed on the labels. But Locke kept on, leaning down on his elbows on the counter, playing with a fifty gil piece he had produced from his pants pocket, hoping that this would help things along.

Edgar stood by the wall of the small shop where he was looking in his reflection in the glass front of the grandfather clock. He smoothed down his bangs to either side of his face and adjusted the goggles.

Terra sat down in a chair by the counter, watching Locke and the shopkeeper, hoping to learn something.

The old shop keeper threw up his hands and cried out, "FINE! Fifty gil for four antidotes! Jeez!" and with that he started to open compartments behind him looking for the antidotes. Locke gave Edgar and Terra a thumbs-up behind his back, out of sight of the shop keeper, and started asking about phoenix downs for severe wounds.

The bells attached to the shop door jingled softly, and in came a man that seemed vaguely familiar. Terra looked him up and down inconspicuously, hoping that he would not notice, and tried to place his appearance. The man stood a ways away from Locke, waiting patiently for the thief to finish up his haggling.

After purchasing many medicines and ointments for their trip into the mountains that afternoon, their packs now heavy with the weight of the bottles, Edgar proposed that they should go to the pub for a spot of tea.

By that time, some of the market activity died down, allowing for the group to walk more easily along the cobblestone streets. They did not have to worry about losing each other in the crowd, and wound their way past the large water wheel.

Through little alleyways that had small puddles of water and the occasional teenage couple kissing, where thin lines were strung from window to window, allowing sheets and various clothing to hang and dry in the cool air, and around a corner Locke and Edgar led, followed closely by Terra. She watched the young boy and girl rip apart quickly when Locke started sniggering, and Edgar gave them a sly wink as they passed.

Flanking up to Edgar's side as they went around the corner that promised soft sunshine and more activity as they neared the harbor, Terra connected with a black wall.

Or so she thought.

Staggering backwards, Terra was caught in Edgar's arms, her head fuzzy for the slightest of moments. Looking up, she saw what she had collided with, or rather, who.

"Oh man, we're sorry," Locke began, checking to see if Terra was hurt as he spoke. He was cut off mid-sentence, and saw that the man was glaring down at the shrouded girl.

"Yes, I'm very sorry for running into you like that…" Terra nearly squeaked out, unable to draw her eyes away from the stranger's scowl. Was this a normal reaction when people get bumped into? In her peripherals, she could see how Locke was tensing up, and felt Edgar's hands form a death grip on her shoulders.

The strange thing about the man was that she could only see his eyes and the bridge of his nose between them. His dark eyes were flat, lifeless almost, but still hinted at his irritation. Without a single word, he began to turn and continue walking on his way, giving the massive black hound at his side a gesture to follow with a black gloved hand.

"We were trying to apologize, sir. It is discourteous to glower at my lady friend like she has slapped you in the face and then walk away without a word." The man dressed in all black listened for a moment before he resumed walking away. Edgar let go of Terra and made a move like he was going to grab the man's arm when Locke stopped him.

"Let's just get inside, Ed, it's not worth it. Trust me on this," Locke lowered his voice, watching the man go into the market square with his large dog trotting at his side.

"Alright," the king sighed.

The pub looked as if the lunch rush had already come through, and only a few tables were occupied. Locke asked which table they should sit at, and Terra pointed to a private looking nook by a staircase leading downstairs. They settled into their seats and looked over the menus left on the table for them. A pert looking waitress sauntered up to them, eyeing the blond man with interest.

"What can I get for you all?" she cooed, directing herself and her assets to Edgar exclusively across the table from where she stood. Each one of them requested their drinks, and the waitress wandered off to the kitchens, her hips swaying more exaggeratedly than before.

Edgar did not miss a single swish from the waitress's bottom, and his mouth had curled into a tom cat's smile as he watched. Locke snapped his fingers in front of his face, making the king blink himself out of it, and shot the thief a dirty look.

"I know who that man was outside," Locke said, lowering his voice like before, "I've got a friend who hangs around Figaro, and he said that the guy is a transient. The guy shows up once in a while, and leaves the city without anybody really noticing."

"His clothing must stand out though," Terra thought that such dress should stand out at least. Nobody else was wearing such dark colors save for some of the merchants that they had passed by.

"He is so unapproachable, so that would deter many from speaking with him even if they did happen to take notice of him," Edgar muttered, fiddling with the twines on his fork.

The waitress returned with their orders, and brought something extra on the tray.

She placed a slice of cake in front of each of them, Edgar's being the biggest slice, and with a wink, she went to another table to tend to her other customers.

"It looks like Edgar's appearance got us free food," Terra sank her fork into her cake and brought a bite to her mouth happily. Her remark made the blond squirm in his seat, muttering that he did not expect for it to work so well.

"Anyways," continued Locke, spearing his cake too, "my contact told me to keep an eye peeled for that guy. From what he could gather, the man is an assassin. Nobody knows where he's from, but he doesn't seem to have a side when it comes to the Empire."

"I bet he was the one who spilled the beans, so to speak, on Arcell," Edgar burst out, the thought occurring to him just then.

"Yep, right you are. For the right price, that guy would kill his own grandmother with her knitting needles. It's all the same to him."

"You don't think he'll follow us to the hideout or anything, do you Locke?" the mint haired girl asked, sipping her black tea slowly to avoid burning her mouth.

"You never know, Ter, but in any case, we'd better keep an eye or two out."

The three of them agreed on this, and kept on eating their free food.

"I'm tellin' ya, it was called an Asper! All frozen and secret and junk!" a male voice shouted from across the pub, the words slurring around like beer sloshing in a stein.

"Good goddesses, cool it! That's old news!" a different masculine voice retorted, snorting derisively.

"But I haven't heard about this," a female voice said.

Edgar, Locke, and Terra were all watching the table across the pub now, eagerly listening in.

"My brother's family lives up in that deep freeze called a town, an' they were told it was jest some weird ole fossil that the miners dug up. But! My brother got the heebie jeebies about it, an' checked it out one night last month!" the drunk man leaned towards the red headed woman, grinning crookedly.

"So you think that the Empire sent three Magitek Heavies to Narshe for an old fossilized beast," the other man shook his head, "Gosh man, you need to stop drinking so much."

Edgar turned back to Terra and Locke, "Seems like the drunkard has his info pretty straight for the most part."

"I am a smidgen curious now about what my people know. You can only learn so much in a pub," with that the king rose and spotted a discarded newspaper at a nearby table, and grabbed it up.

"I'll go pay for lunch. We can read that once we're outside of the city limits," Locke got up too, motioning for Terra to do the same, and went to the counter where a couple of waitresses were chatting. Edgar scooped up his pack, and dropped a few coins on their table amongst the finished drinks and crumb covered plates.

Edgar was going to miss his South Figaro, and tried his best to study each and every detail of his lovely city as he and his friends walked through the streets going north. The Returner's Hideout was hidden in the Sabil Mountains, and to get to it, they had to go through Mount Kolts just north-east of his beloved South Figaro.

* * *

**A/N: Hello! Thanks again for reading! I hope that this chapter was fun to read, because it was very fun to write. I'm hoping to start updating more regularly from now on. I do hope that I'm doing a good job at writing this story. Please feel free to send me a message, drop a review, let me know if you spy any little slip-ups I may have missed! **

**-MoogleTerra  
**


	9. Mountain Sound

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Mountain Sound**

The mountains loomed on the horizon, serious and waiting. On their way out of South Figaro, Locke and Terra stocked up on foods for their trip. All three of their packs were weighed down with potatoes, apples, and rolls of cheese, some of which Locke did not pay for.

The Figaroan plains were calm and untouched, and the goings was good for the party as they approached the Kolts Mountains. Edgar poured over the newspaper he found back in the pub as they trotted along, and Terra and Locke heard the king let out little sighs or bits of what sounded like exasperation.

"What are the journalists whining about now?" Locke inquired, having a look-see over his friend's shoulder.

"That little wannabe aristocrat is spreading rumors about my incompetence. He thinks that I should do more to please the Emperor to protect the kingdom from war," Edgar sneered, showing Locke the article.

"Looks like he has a lot to say about the recent attack on Narshe too…" Terra remarked, skimming the page in Locke's hands.

"'_With the unprecedented attack on the coal mining city Narshe, many in Figaro are in uproar. Narshe has been neutral for years, and many are questioning the motives behind the attack. Some believe that there is a plot between King Edgar and the Emperor to control the coal trains coming out of the Narshe Mountains. This would pose more taxes on other neighboring provinces and kingdoms if this was to occur. _

_Other sources who shall remain anonymous believe that the Empire's attack was motivated by the recent fossil unearthed in the Narshe mines. The question is: Why would the Empire want a relic of the past? _

_This attack was, no matter how one looks at it, a blatant use of the Empire's power, and has caused many to fear for our kingdom. _

_Many citizens on the streets believe that South Figaro is next in the Imperial attacks, and are hoping that King Edgar makes an agreement with the Emperor to prevent such a thing from happening. _

_Markl Straud, of South Figaro, believes that King Edgar should try to strengthen the alliance between Figaro and Vector, and possibly send diplomats to visit the Southern Continent to discuss matters with the Emperor…'_" Locke finished reading with an incredulous look on his face, not bothering to continue the article.

"The news that Kefka tried to burn down the castle has not reached South Figaro yet, has it?" the mint haired mage asked, to which Edgar nodded.

"If South Figaro did know, it would be all over the front pages. None of my soldiers or anybody from the castle has been able to reach the city. The castle has to stay hidden in the caverns below the desert until the threats have passed over," clarified Edgar, folding up the newspaper to stow away into his bag for later.

"How will they know when it's safe, though? They're underground."

"Isn't there some sort of message system that you have to do in the desert at a certain point?" Locke pointed out, his face scrunched up as he tried to remember exactly.

"Yes. Once we are finished at the hideout, I'll send a message to one of my commanders patrolling the borders," the king responded, beaming broadly at his companions.

* * *

Perched high up on a scraggly yellowed grass covered ledge, crouched an enormous man who scratched at his sandy hair behind his ear.

"Well, I'll be…" he declared in astonishment. He watched the small group approach the mountains from the south. The group entered the first in a series of caves that would lead them to the other side of the mountains.

The tall, muscled man hopped to his feet, his sandals gripping the ground steadily, his loose pants whipped in the wind.

"I have to see! Is that really him?" he hopped down several little ledges with the agility of a cat, and listened carefully for the rhythmic footfalls of the people in the caves. He heard two male voices bicker back and forth over an apple while the female snickered quietly.

"That haughty, snooty, royal tongue has to belong to him. Nobody else has that exact mixture in their attitude, "the man laughed to himself quietly, memories of his boyhood flashing by like lightning.

"Boy, I really hope I don't sound that bad…maybe that's why Vargas always made fun of my accent…" he rubbed his prickly chin in thought as he continued to follow the group at a distance. The man noticed that the young woman was acting funny for a little while. Maybe she heard him laughing.

* * *

"Did you guys hear that?" Terra hissed as she followed Locke and Edgar around a bend on the ledge they were on.

"Hear what?" the king replied, watching his footing as they went along.

"It sounds like somebody is following us. I can feel it…" Terra whispered, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

"What do you mean, you can feel it?" Locke whispered back, his eyes darting back and forth from the trail ahead of them and places that looks suspicious above them in the rocks.

"I'm not sure that I can explain it. I can feel that somebody is nearby, and they're following us," her eyes flicked up to a certain cliff above them questionably.

"Maybe it's that assassin from South Figaro!" one of her hands went to her sword on reflex.

Edgar put his hand on Terra's shoulder and squeezed lightly, "Whoever it is, my dear, we will be on guard for them."

Terra nodded, her hand never leaving the hilt of her sword as she lowered her eyes from the cliff above, missing when the muscled man peered over the edge at them.

Locke led his companions into another cave with holes in the ceiling that created skylights, making the place easier to see inside. The brown rocks were cut away in some places, leading to other openings in the mountain's side. They explored the little passageways cautiously with persuading from Locke, who always took an opportunity to look for treasure. One of the paths led out onto a small ledge with just enough room for one person to stand and a wooden box with a lock on it. Terra offered to retrieve the treasure because she was the smallest of the group, and hopefully her weight would not disturb the possibly fragile ground.

She struggled with the lock for a moment, which made her hand hurt as it pulled against the metal, before conjuring a small ball of fire on the lock alone, and somehow used her flame to rip the metal apart with a sweeping gesture of her hands. The box held a brand new tent straight from South Figaro's general store.

Terra brought the bundle back inside the cave to her friends to show them, smiling when they asked how she opened the lock.

"Maybe I'll show you two if we find another lock," Terra smiled, feeling pleased with herself. Edgar tied the tent to Terra's bag and fastened it in place with a few of the straps.

The rest of the cave was interesting enough with two more treasure chests hidden. One was behind a huge boulder that Locke squeezed himself behind to get at, and the other was placed in a tunnel that led out to a side trail that went to a dead end.

Outside of the cave, the group followed the main trail deeper into the mountains, and soon came upon a rope bridge that crossed a gorge.

"Is this thing safe?" Terra could not bring her eyes away from the ground so far down the ravine, and her heart pounded in her ears. She grabbed on to a rock that jutted out of the side of the trail, and dared not to let go any time soon.

"It's safe as far as bridges can be that cross a canyon," Locke offered, trying to sound coaxing, noting the girl's death grip on her rock.

"Are you afraid of heights, my lady?" Edgar asked, putting his face into Terra's sight, blocking the gorge from her view.

"Only when it involves crossing a rickety bridge and the possibility of falling to my death," she replied in a surprisingly even tone, though her face was stone, and her knuckles were white.

Edgar chuckled good-naturedly, and held out a hand for Terra, "Come on, dear, you will be just fine. I will be with you, so you have nothing to fear."

Though Terra could not see Locke's reaction to the king's promise, the muscled man watching them was sent into a fit of giggles.

"Good gods, brother, you'll make Mister Bandana have a heart attack at this rate," he sighed, shaking his head.

"He's just like I remember. It is so funny how after ten years he's still putting the moves on girls." He watched as the girl was soon reluctantly persuaded to cross after many more entreaties from her companions. She held on tight to a strap on Locke's bag and did not let her gaze stray downwards. The thief whistled a little ditty to help lighten her mood, and Edgar stayed close behind to help steady her.

Once the group was across the bridge and safely on the other side, the man glanced around, and did not see any rocks or ledges he could hop to without getting hurt in the process. He jumped down to where his brother and companions were previously and hurried over the bridge. Edgar and company were already inside the next series of caves when he started climbing the rocks again to keep an aerial view of the surroundings.

Yes, it was true that the blond was keeping an eye out for any thieves and other miscreants. He was just protective like that. So far, he had only seen his brother's party, and the animals that inhabited the mountains.

Also, he kept a watchful eye out for somebody in particular.

* * *

"Gerroff me you flying bastards!" Locke screeched, flinging and flailing his arms above his head in an effort to scare off the large birds he had angered. The thief was just minding his own business, looking for treasure in the niches near the top of the cave ceiling, when his hand knocked down a big nest and ended up cracking the big eggs inside.

"I didn't mean to hurt your eggies! Leave me alone!" he cried, wincing every time one of the large scarlet birds pecked at his head.

Edgar hurried over to the thief and pulled out a device from his pack. Terra saw that it was a small metallic box with a button on the side when she appeared behind the king.

"Cover your ears!" Edgar yelled over the birds' cawing and squawking, to which Locke and Terra complied quickly, though Locke had some difficulty doing so. He snapped a pair of ear muffs over his own ears before pressing the button. A large warped horn like structure erupted from the box, and all Terra could hear through her hands was a dull pulsing sound. The birds dropped out of the air like they were struck by lightning, and started flopping around on the ground at their feet.

With another press of the button, the horn folded up on itself and returned to the small box.

"Thanks Edgar," Locke puffed, straightening his bandanas on his head. Little flecks of blood littered his hair and the collar of his dark blue jacket.

"Not a problem, Lockey," Edgar smiled, pleased with his gadget.

"What is that thing?" Terra asked, wanting to touch the little contraption. The king warned her against pressing the button, and let her hold the gadget.

"It is a Noise Blaster. I took the phonograph idea from Nikeah a step further and made a weapon! It confuses enemies quite well," he explained, putting a hand on his hip.

"I needed to make it small too because, well, of this thing," he went on, pointing at the crossbow hanging from his belt.

"I can't seem to find a good way of making my bow smaller without compromising my shooting precision…" Edgar sighed, taking his Noise Blaster back and putting it in his bag.

Terra went to Locke's side and held her hand up next to his head. Little lime green sparkles appeared and started absorbing into the thief with little pop sounds like bubbles. Locke thanked her enthusiastically with a pat on the back and told her how neat it was that she could heal injuries so easily.

Eventually, the group found their way out of the cave and started following a trail that descended down the mountains.

"It looks like we're almost outta here, guys," the thief commented in his lilting voice.

"I thought that we would be here much longer," said Terra, her eyes still watching for any sign of the presence she felt behind them.

"You see that cave opening ahead?" Locke pointed down to the end of the trail where a cave opened up into another dark passage.

"That is the infamous pass where thieves lie in wait to strike weary travelers when they think they are home free," Edgar offered, giving the thief a little grin.

"Bet you know all about that Locke," Terra added, her face innocent, as if she did not just shoot an insult his way. Locke's jaw dropped, astonished at the girl for her sharp words.

"Where in blazes did that come from?!" he howled, obviously upset as one of his hands latched on to her shoulder.

"I was just voicing what Edgar was thinking," Terra replied simply, "Was I correct?" She turned her head to Edgar now, smiling when he nodded, indulging her.

Locke stalked ahead, muttering things like, "Good grief, she's against me too!" and, "They're working together. Gosh that one stung…"

The king wrapped an arm around his female friend and gave her a squeeze, chuckling, "You seem to be getting better at catching jokes and what not."

The mage smiled, "I've been observing carefully!"

But their easy conversation was interrupted when Locke flew by and connected with the rock wall to their left. The thief rubbed at his neck before shouting, "Hey, what the hell was that for?"

He did not seem too banged up by the attack, and stood, withdrawing his dagger from his belt.

The reason why Locke was thrown was standing in the cave opening with his arms crossed. He was a man a few inches taller than Edgar with rippling muscles underneath sun tanned skin. His face was hard, and he sneered at the thief waiting for a response.

"Well, well, well, looks like more of you Returner rats are headed for your precious hideout," the man laughed.

"What's it to you?" Locke snapped back, his arms tensing as he readied himself for a counter attack.

"Who are you, anyways? Identify yourself!" Edgar demanded, running up to Locke's side.

"Oh me? I'm only the most powerful man in the world!" the large man roared. He glided up to them before Locke or Edgar could react and hit them both with such speed that it was all a blur. The king and thief fell back, nearly landing on top of Terra as she scuttled out of the way.

Terra felt something burning in her chest, and without thinking she cast a fire spell and shot it at their attacker. Somehow he deflected it by blocking it with his arm.

"Special armor?" she thought, grimacing as she sent more fireballs at the man. Once or twice he could not block her strikes, and the smell of burning flesh lingered in the air. Edgar and Locke stirred from their brief bought of unconsciousness, and tried their best to get out of the way of Terra's fire.

"Enough of your tricks!" the man cried, rushing the girl and closing a fist around her windpipe before she could move out of his reach.

"Terra!" Locke shouted, pulling himself up quickly and ran to the man, his dagger shining in the light. The mint haired girl struggled against the man's grip, clawing at his hand to pry his fingers loose. She choked and gasped for air, feeling her energy drain out of her every moment she tried to breathe.

The thief slashed and dodged the man's other arm and legs, landing some cuts here and there. Edgar was aiming his crossbow with the crosshairs, trying to get a clean shot of their assailant without hurting Locke or Terra in the process.

"Leave them be, Vargas!" a voice bellowed through the mountain pass, followed by a tall man bounding down from the ledges overlooking the fight.

The attacker, Vargas, loosened his grip on Terra and let her fall to the ground with a sickening thump. Locke hurried to her side and stroked her back as he produced a potion from his pocket, holding the bottle to her lips as she drank slowly.

"Sabin?!" Edgar yelped, his demeanor losing all sense of royalty as he let his crossbow swing limply to his side, dumbfounded as a familiar set of square white teeth flashed a smile at him before returning his attention to Vargas.

Locke gave Sabin a little wave before pulling Terra off a ways to keep her safe as she recovered.

"What a pleasant surprise, dear little Sabin. I thought you were still off crying over that old fool of a master!" Vargas laughed cruelly.

"That 'old fool' was your own father, Vargas! How could you do such a thing? Kill your father while he was sleeping. If anybody here is the weakling, it's you!" Sabin retorted, his face contorting with anger.

Vargas went a few paces closer to Sabin, his hands upturned as he shrugged, "That old fool was just blinded by a bunch of petty flowers and rabbits. He didn't see what true power could be used for. But I see that we should use our abilities to show the world a new dawn!"

"You're talking like a damn tyrant, Vargas. You're no better than Emperor Gestahl wanting to rule with fear. Might does not make right!" Sabin tried appealing, but only received more laughter.

"It seems that you too are blinded by the teachings of good ole dad. What a pity," Vargas sighed, "Maybe that's why that fool chose you for his successor instead of me, because you follow blindly, but I refuse to do that. He just couldn't handle my way of doing things."

Sabin ground his hands into fists, trying to keep his anger under control. "You just don't get it, do you? Master Duncan chose you, not me!"

"You're the worst liar I've ever met," Vargas growled, launching himself at Sabin without warning, driving his foot into the blond's side hard.

Sabin felt himself falling and used the force to roll when he hit the ground. Edgar started to try shooting Vargas before Sabin yelled, "Stay out of this, big brother! This is my fight!"

The king wanted to ignore this command and help because he was his brother after all, but he lowered the bow, hating the fact that he would not have been much help anyway judging from how Terra fared with Vargas.

The more muscular of the Figaro brothers concentrated on calming himself. He focused on the inner peace deep in his mind as he dodged Vargas's attacks, feeling almost as if they were only sparring outside of their Master's dwelling.

Vargas grew more and more frustrated as his hits continued to miss, and felt his anger well up inside his chest. He tried punching Sabin's stomach only to be punching thin air as a sharp blow struck his back, and he tried sailing a foot around to hit his opponent's jaw, but lost his footing.

"When did you get better than me?!" Vargas shouted in a rage, now letting his fists fly haphazardly, all of the hits missing.

Sabin only gave him a sober look as he finally had the concentration perfect for his blitz, and let loose a fury of hits that beat his friend backwards into a boulder. His old friend and fellow student coughed up blood which dripped down his chin and on to his bare chest. He fell forwards on to the ground; his muscles shuddering in pain, his breath came broken.

"Sa-bin," Vargas wheezed, unable to lift up his head, more blood oozing on to the grass underneath him.

The blond made his way over to Vargas and crouched next to the man, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Father taught you a blitz already?" he forced out, looking up at Sabin.

Sabin merely nodded somberly, "I wasn't after power to put people into servitude."

Vargas was silent, and after a moment, Sabin checked the vein in his neck, and found no pulse. The blond let himself mourn for a moment, still crouched there beside his best friend of ten years, his hand on his shoulder, feeling the warmth that lingered behind.

"Shouldn't Edgar go to him?" Terra whispered as quietly as she could into Locke's ear as they watched the muscular man hunkered down next to their attacker.

Locke shook his head, whispering back, "Sabin needs a minute, that's all." Terra nodded, hoping that she understood what he meant. She and Locke stood slowly and went over to Edgar's side. After a few quiet moments, Sabin finally stood up tall and turned, a sad smile stretched across his face.

"Hello big brother," he said, willing himself to shed the unhappy feelings in his heart for the moment so that he could have a good meeting with his dear brother. He felt a little better when Edgar took long strides up to him, looked him square in the eyes, and gave him a kiss on each cheek, on his forehead, and wrapped his arms around him so tight it was a little hard to breathe. The elder brother let go once he realized that he was still holding his crossbow, and that it made their hug awkward.

"Good grief, Edgar, that thing'll leave a mark!" the younger brother laughed, rubbing at the spot where the bow left an indent in his skin.

Looking down slightly, he saw that there were tears at the corners of Edgar's eyes, which made Sabin pull his brother into another tight embrace.

Terra glanced at Locke for a moment, feeling odd to be watching such an emotional reunion, and saw that the thief was grinning ear to ear, his eyes soft and content. He felt Terra's eyes on him, and smiled at her briefly before pulling her along with him to greet Edgar's little brother.

"Long time no see, Sabin!" Locke beamed, his voice familiar with the brother.

With a big muscled arm around Edgar's shoulders still, the man beamed back, "Right you are, Locke! I'm still quite a bit taller than you."

"Yeah, but it's a lot easier to knock you over," the thief responded with a smile.

Edgar snapped his crossbow back into place on his belt, looking as if he could not believe his lucky stars even if they were hanging in front of his face.

"So, I've got to ask, Ed, what are you guys doing here in this neck of the woods? Don't you have a kingdom to run?" the taller of the brothers asked, looking at the three with puzzlement.

"It is a long story, honestly," Edgar confessed, his mouth turning up into a wary smile.

"How about you explain it to me on the way?" Sabin squished his brother harder for a moment before releasing him.

The king's eyebrows rose, "You want to come with us? But what about your training?"

Sabin shrugged, his eyes moving to the ground, "Sure I wanna go with you guys. I mean, there's nothing left for me now. I could remain here and meditate, maybe keep my skills sharp by keeping the monster population low, but it would get really lonely with Master and Vargas gone."

His brother nodded, understanding what he meant.

"Let's get going then, we've got a good hike up to the Sabil Mountains," Edgar said, patting his brother on the arm.

* * *

**A/N: I thought that was a good place to end this chapter. I hope that I wrote this part well, and I really hope that you guys enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and review! **


	10. To The Hideout

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**To The Hideout**

**A/N: I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to update. I was having trouble writing this chapter.**

The four travelers had walked through the valley between the mountains for the remainder of their evening, and decided to settle themselves down for the night by a cluster of spruce trees. Each one of them helped with the preparation of their camp, and soon they had enough wood for the night and a fire going in a little pit Edgar and Terra dug. Terra cast a fire spell on the wood and willed it to be strong, and she kept expecting their new addition to react the way Locke and Edgar had when they saw her magic for the first time. But Sabin merely grinned at her when she glanced up at him.

Edgar seemed to have been expecting it as well, and gave his brother a curious look, "You act as if you have seen magic before, little brother."

"I saw her trying to set Vargas on fire, if you remember," Sabin replied, giving Terra's hair a ruffle.

"That was mighty powerful stuff, Terra! You could give me a run for my money if we sparred together!"

Terra smiled up at Sabin as she went to help Locke work on their evening meal. They were going to go hunting for a rabbit to cook in a stew that night in celebration of the Figaro brothers reuniting. The thief also wanted to show her some basic techniques for catching rabbits and other animals, and they both left camp, waving back at the twins.

"We'll be back in a bit, guys!" Locke called back at them before explaining to his mint haired friend how to snag a bunny in a rather devious tone of voice.

Sabin plopped himself down in the grass next to his brother and noticed that Edgar was gazing up at the darkening sky. Gnats, mosquitoes, and bats were flying around in the dimming twilight, and many of the insects were drawn to their fire, only to be burned up once getting too close.

"That Terra's really something, isn't she, Ed? And Locke's still just like how I remembered him," Sabin said with his eyes still skyward. His brother shifted his legs in an effort to get more comfortable.

"Yes she is, brother. She is a sweet young lady, and Locke will never change." Edgar replied, smiling to himself softly.

"Her powers are really neat. I wonder how she got them…" the younger twin wondered, looking down at the fire.

"We do not have a clue, but neither does she. Terra has said that her powers feel natural to her. Locke wonders if the Empire gave her the powers when she was young, like the others he and the Returners were researching, or if she is something else altogether."

"Hmm, so many questions…I hope the Returners can find the answers before the war gets too bad," Sabin sighed, glancing sideways at his brother. Edgar was looking back, and nodded, hoping that they could find them too.

They sat in the moist night air quietly together, enjoying the easy comfort that came with their twin being around again. It was strange being separated for so long, and Edgar felt like he was complete once more. Edgar knew that it would take them awhile to get reacquainted with each other, but they had plenty of time to do so. For now, he was happy to know that his younger brother was safe, and that they were together once again. Once or twice, Sabin slapped at a mosquito, which brought Edgar out of his reverie.

The king was tempted to ask his brother about the ascetic training that he had endured under Master Duncan, but decided to put it off until they reached the hideout.

* * *

Terra found out quickly that Locke's way of hunting did not coincide with her own ideas. She thought that the best course of action would be for them to would wait patiently from above for an animal to come by, and shoot it with an arrow, if they had one, or ambush it and kill it with a knife.

Locke resorted to using his surroundings to trap a rabbit, and slit its throat, as he had explained.

Deep in the little bit of woods, where only sparse bits of moonlight that shone down through the branches could be used to see by, Terra watched quietly while Locke put together the first trap. He had gotten some supple tree branches tied in a certain way, with a rope attached, and set them to tighten around anything that touched the rope while slinging the creature upside down from the tree.

When he had produced the rope, Terra had the amusing thought that Locke's pockets were larger on the inside because he seemed to keep everything in them.

Next, after having set the rope trap, Locke showed Terra how to make a little cage that would slam shut when an animal went inside. Together they used pieces of branches to make the cage, and wove them together tightly for the part that would shut.

The cage took a while longer to make and set, and after it was finished, Terra told Locke, "I hope that I can remember how to make these in the future!"

"I'm sure that you can. They aren't very hard to make," Locke said in a reassuring manner, giving her a pat on the back.

Terra took a few steps forwards towards a tree with low lying branches, "Maybe we should hide up in a tree while we wait. You know, that way the rabbits won't see us as easily."

"Sounds good!" Locke replied, about to follow her when he noticed which tree she was headed for.

"Uh, Terr? Are you sure you want that tree?" But his suggestion was too late. Terra had already stepped on the rope, and as it wrapped tightly around her leg, she let out a squeal.

The tree tried to fling her up, but luckily it was a young tree that was not very strong, so it only succeeded in pulling her to the ground while her legs were held up uncomfortably in the air.

The girl let out a frustrated cry, trying to pull her legs free, and found that her tactic did not work.

Locke, trying not to start laughing at what he had witnessed, ran to her side to help.

"Are you okay, Terra?" he asked, pulling a dagger from his belt, and knelt to cut the rope. Terra was ahead of him though, and set the rope on fire with a concentrated spell. The ball of fire ripped the rope apart and fizzled the entire thing before she let the spell go in a puff of smoke before it caught the tree on fire.

"I think I'm okay," Terra said with a pleased smile, dusting herself free of leaves as Locke helped her to her feet.

"Gods, that was a neat trick!" Locke exclaimed, beaming at her admiringly.

"Thank you," she replied.

"C'mon, let's get up in a tree before the bunnies come by!" the thief pulled her along to another tree with low branches nearby, and gave her his hand to use when she needed help pulling herself up.

They settled on a crooked branch and watched the needle and leaf covered ground below for any signs of movement. Locke admitted that it may take a while for anything to come along since they had made such a ruckus.

Terra scanned the ground for activity, and made herself quiet her breathing as much as she could muster so that any rabbits nearby would not be startled.

The thief looked at Terra for a moment, then looked back at the tree that had tried to ensnare her. He tried very hard to keep himself in check, but soon he was sniggering into his gloved hand at the scene he had watched a few minutes before.

"Locke! What are you doing? You're going to scare the rabbits away!" Terra hissed at him, wondering what had gotten into him.

"It's just that…I can't…" he continued laughing for a moment, visibly trying to contain himself, "That was just hilarious earlier!" He was sent into another fit of laughter that shook him.

"What?" She was confused because she saw no humor in what had happened to her. She thought it was bad luck, and her bum still hurt from the fall. Her friend continued his giggling and snickering, while she just shook her head, Terra felt warmth in her cheeks. She wondered vaguely if what she was feeling was embarrassment.

Terra put a hand on Locke's shoulder for emphasis, "Please, do not tell anybody about the particulars of what happened." He agreed by nodding his head, and had finally calmed himself down.

Feeling satisfied, the young woman decided to tell Locke about how she saw Edgar inspecting the china in the middle of the night when they stayed in Duncan's house. He seemed very entertained by this, and told her that Edgar had most likely noticed that the china was Sabin's.

"Can we keep that a secret, too?" she hoped, turning her gaze away from the ground to look at her friend.

"Of course we can! If that's what you want." He replied with a grin.

"Though, it would be fun to tease Ed about that. It would be more fun to have something like this hidden from him!"

Terra gave him a playful shove like he and Edgar did to each other, and resumed watching the ground below.

* * *

Off in the distance, in the trees they were camping just outside of, the twins heard branches snap, followed by victory whoops and hollers, mostly male. Soon after this, Locke and Terra came bounding up to camp, both holding two fat brown rabbits by their long feet.

"Lookit! We found two of these babies!" Locke exclaimed with his rabbit swinging back and forth as he presented it to the twins. Terra showed hers too, her hand wiping away the sweat forming on her brow.

"How did you do with hunting, my lady?" Edgar asked with a toothy smile.

"Well, it started out a little rocky…" she sighed.

"She got caught in the trap I showed her how to set," Locke interrupted, patting her on the shoulder.

Terra shot Locke a hard look, "But I think I got the hang of it. Kind of, anyways."

"Well, it was your first time hunting, so you're bound to have made a few mistakes. That's how you learn!" Sabin chuckled.

"Yes, would you like help skinning your rabbit, dear?" the king offered, scooting over for her. When she kneeled down beside him, Edgar gave her a quick squeeze for a job well done.

"Would you like to hear a funny story, my lady?" Edgar whispered in Terra's ear, to which she nodded eagerly, always interested in learning more about her new comrades.

"Well, my first hunting trip when I was a lad went dreadfully! Sabin took to it naturally. He is a real mountain man, you see. But me on the other hand? Oh gods no," Edgar shuddered, his eyes playful.

"I caught one measly Leafer to Sabin's several, I forget the exact number. And I did not even kill my Leafer all the way, I just knocked it out."

Sabin's ears pricked, hearing his name coming from Edgar's whisperings with Terra. He stood and went to their side, and hearing a snippet of the story, he interjected, "The Leafer bit him on the leg once it woke up! He had to get stitches, I think." Sabin laughed loudly, causing Edgar to turn slightly pink in the firelight, and causing Terra to start giggling like mad. The younger twin showed Terra the spot where the Leafer bit Edgar's leg, which made the girl start laughing even harder.

By the fire, Locke pulled out a cooking pot from his bag along with the shiny lid, and uncorked some of the recycled potion bottles that were now full of water. He dumped a few bottles worth in the pot and found some onions in his pack to slice up. The thief did not pay any mind to his friends and their laughter as he continued his work.

He pulled out a collapsible steel rod to hang over the fire, and started driving sticks into the ground to hold up the rod. Once this was finished, and the cooking pot was hanging over the fire, Locke started skinning his rabbit and pulling out the guts. He chopped the meat up into bite sized chunks and skewered them on thin sticks to roast them briefly before tossing them in the pot. Sabin, having finished his laughing and joking, went over to Locke and grabbed a couple of the onions. Locke handed him his spare dagger and returned to rummaging around in his bag while the meat cooked.

Edgar helped Terra clean her rabbit and they copied Locke's actions by setting the meat up against the fire to roast.

The group finished their supper preparations and waited while their rabbit stew cooked over the flames.

Edgar sat next to Terra, watching the flames glower and lick at the air, sending waves of heat up into the night.

Terra could not help wondering if their campfire would be seen by somebody, and voiced her concern to her comrades.

To their surprise, Sabin spoke up, "I don't think anybody nasty would see us. Only Returner scouts would be this far back in the valley."

"How would you know that, Sabin? Don't tell me you're a Returner too and nobody bothered to mention it!" Locke laughed, glancing at Edgar.

"No, I'm not a Returner. But Master Duncan, Vargas, and I have been training in Mount Kolts for years now. We see you guys passing through all the time while we're up in the high cliffs. We figured that we wouldn't bother you all," the taller twin paused, catching his brother's gaze.

"We haven't seen any Imperials going through those mountains at all over the years, so you shouldn't worry about them being here already."

"With recent events, we just have to worry about Kefka and his troops coming up after us. I'm still uneasy about that assassin we met back in town." Locke commented, taking a nearby stick and using it to poke at the burning branches. "He might know where the hideout is and give the troops that information."

"They won't come very quickly," said Terra, drawing the eyes of her companions to her.

"What do you mean, my darling?" Edgar inquired, giving her a curious look, thinking perhaps she remembered something about her days in the Imperial military.

"Well, wouldn't they stop in South Figaro first? I mean, that's what we've been worried about, and it seems likely, especially after the attack at the castle," she gave Edgar a somber look.

Terra continued, "First, the troops have to find a way into the city without being seen, possibly at dusk or midnight, and take over the Figaroan guard. Then, they have to use force to make the citizens obey." She saw flashes in her mind of herself taking part in such an invasion, and lowered her eyes down to the fire, wishing she could lock those memories up in a box and throw it off a cliff.

The king's face hardened, feeling in his heart that the occupation would indeed take place soon, and felt selfish at thinking how it would buy them time with the Returners to make a solid plan. He watched Locke check their stew, and scrumptious smells flooded out of the pot.

"I think it's ready!" Locke said brightly, "Do we have any extra bowls for Sabin?"

Terra checked her bag and found two wooden bowls along with a few spoons that Locke had tucked into her pack when they were dividing up their supplies. Edgar found two more in his pack, and Sabin grinned sheepishly, saying that he did not have many possessions with him.

"I only have some berries and walnuts…" the prince said, checking the leather pouch attached to his pants at the waist.

"Maybe we can get you a bag at the hideout," the mage replied, trying to be helpful.

"We can have berries for dessert at least," said Sabin, closing his pouch back up.

The thief produced a wooden ladle from his pack and gave everybody a generous helping of the stew before giving himself one too. Peering inside the cooking pot for a moment, Terra commented that they could have stew for breakfast as well judging from how much was left over.

"That's if we don't scarf it all down tonight," Locke chuckled, taking a big bite out of a chunk of potato.

Terra found herself agreeing that the stew might be all gone by morning after she took her first bite. She did not realize how hungry she had been until the potatoes and carrots hit her stomach.

By the end of their meal, everybody had eaten about two bowls of stew a piece and a handful of Sabin's berries and nuts. They did have enough of their meal left over for the morning, however. Then, they decided who would take the first watch that night while the others slept.

Edgar volunteered for the first watch and climbed into a tree on the edge of their camp to get a better view of the valley around them.

A few hours passed quietly, with only the sounds of insects chirping, owls hooting, and light snoring from his bear of a brother, until Edgar heard Locke talking in his sleep. The thief was curled up next to Terra, ever protective of her, and the king wondered if his sleep talking would wake the lady up. She rolled over, facing away from the thief, and continued her even breathing.

Listening carefully, Edgar heard Locke mutter the name "Rachel" a few times before shifting over on to his face. The king shook his head, "Still dreaming of her?" he whispered to himself, sighing. He kept a hand balanced on the tree branch, and the other was near his crossbow, ready just in case.

The king finally got to sleep after another hour or so when he kicked Locke awake, telling the thief that it was his turn to keep watch.

Nothing else of consequence happened during the night, and by the time morning rolled around, the group was awake and having breakfast on the leftover stew. Locke estimated that they would reach the Returner's Hideout by that evening if they kept up a brisk pace through the valley. As they finished their breakfast and packed everything up, Edgar was busy explaining what had been going on as of late to Sabin.

Locke would add in a few details where needed when Edgar talked of the attack in Narshe, and Sabin listened attentively to the entire story.

As they talked of what happened in South Figaro, Sabin interjected, "I've seen a person fitting that description before!"

"Wait, a man in all black clothing, mask, with a large dog at his side?" Locke questioned, feeling uneasy.

"Yes, Vargas and I have seen him come through Mt. Kolts several months ago. He was alone, save for his dog. We thought he looked out of place, ya know? We usually expect to see the occasional merchant or Returner coming through the mountains." The prince explained, making sure to add every detail he could remember.

Locke's hands curled into hard fists, and he gritted his teeth. Edgar shook his head gravely, "There is not much we can do about that man now other than alerting the Returners of this fact. That man may have been a spy sent by the Empire to follow a Returner back to the hideout."

"The Returners will have to find a new place to hide, won't they?" asked Terra, biting her lip.

"There are emergency protocols in place. Though, Banon wasn't expecting this sort of thing to happen…" said Locke as he picked up his bag and heaved it on to his shoulders. The rest of the group followed suit, and Locke led the way to the hideout.

As they walked through the valley, heading north east, Terra saw that the mountains were growing smaller on the horizon as they left them behind.

There were few trees in the valley, and the grasses were not nearly as high as the grasses near South Figaro.

Locke was quieter than normal as the morning went on, seeming to be lost in thought. The twins talked about various things they had been doing in the past ten years without each other.

Sabin asked about the kingdom, how relations with other kingdoms and the Empire were going, and Edgar asked about the ascetic training Sabin had undergone. Despite their long strides, Terra kept up the best that she could, keeping to Sabin's side as she listened to their conversation. She gasped whenever the muscular twin told them about falling off a cliff in the mountains. Luckily, he landed on flat ground, and only managed to sprain his ankle and get many black bruises on his arms and torso.

Edgar laughed at his twin's unusually good luck and joked, "Did you have to wrestle with bears, too?"

"Well, not really. Vargas had adopted these two bear cubs that had lost their mother once. We took care of them, and they even slept on our beds with us like a dog would!" Sabin laughed.

"What happened to them?" Terra asked, relieved when the twins had slowed their pace some.

"We had to let them go once they became full grown. Master Duncan wouldn't let us keep them any longer, said it was too dangerous and that they were wild animals."

"It is good that your Master was a sensible man," Edgar chuckled, pushing his bangs back behind his ear.

"Yeah, he was a great man," Sabin sighed, before changing the subject to one that did not make his heart ache.

"By the way, brother, I've been meaning to ask about something." The prince paused a moment, and when no response came, he continued.

"What is with those clothes, anyways? Those pants look too short."

To this, Edgar pointed an accusing finger at the treasure hunter a few paces ahead of them. "Lockey thought it would be best if I disguised myself when we were in town."

"The pants belong to Locke," remarked Terra.

Sabin started laughing at this, much to Edgar's dismay. "I expect them back when we get to the hideout, too," Locke tossed over his shoulder, grinning.

Soon, the group stopped to have lunch on bread, apples, and cheese under the shade of a large bush they had spotted some distance away. The men of the group were all sweating due to the sun's rays beating down on them, but Terra did not seem to be perspiring at all.

As they ate their food, Sabin spotted a figure in the distance that looked like a person rather than a beast, and pointed the figure out to everybody in a hushed voice. They all watched as the person made a particular motion with their arms and hand signs in the air above his or her head.

Locke jumped up and made similar motions, as if answering the stranger. Then the person ran off to the north, and disappeared out of sight within moments.

"What was that about?" asked Terra, watching as Locke plopped back down to continue eating.

"That was just one of the Returner scouts. There are several patrolling this area to make sure that no Imperials are coming. If anything fishy was going on, they would alert the hideout right away," Locke explained with his mouth full of apple.

"It's surprising then that the assassin got through," Sabin observed, taking a big gulp of water.

"Yeah, that's why I'm worried," Locke admitted, "he must be a really high class assassin to be able to slip by the scouts without notice."

The others agreed to this, and soon, with their meal being finished, they set off to the hideout. This time, their pace was quicker, and time seemed to pass by much faster than before.

In no time at all, the party reached the Returner's hideout before the sun started setting.

* * *

**A/N: Hello! I hope that this chapter was fun to read! As always, I appreciate reviews on the story thus far! Any comments, questions, or if you spot any errors will always be graciously accepted. Also, please check my profile for updates!  
**

**-Moogle**


	11. The Returners

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies  
**

**The Returners**

The mountain range was on the horizon, and extended as far as their eyes could see in both directions. The peaks appeared to be more jagged and pointed than either the mountains near Figaro desert or Mt. Kolts, from what Terra could observe.

"Look. They're expecting us," Terra said evenly, pointing her hand up at a ledge where two people dressed in dark denims were conversing and gesturing down at the approaching party.

"Yeah, I bet there aren't many Returners here though," Locke replied, bringing a hand through his hair, only to have it catch in a snarl.

"We shall see, then, if that is true," Edgar commented, adjusting his brass goggles in preparation of meeting with the rebels.

The party found an opening in the side of the mountain, which was accompanied by several other openings like it. Locke pointed one out, and in they went swiftly for want of refuge from the sun and for refreshments.

The light from outside streamed into the cave, allowing them to see the natural dips in the ground, and the turns of the path. Once around two bends, the group walked for a few minutes in the now shadowy light before coming upon a massive wooden door.

Locke knocked and waited patiently for somebody to open the door. After a moment, the heavy door opened to the inside very slowly, and seeing who it was, the person opened it wide to allow the company entrance.

The man wore goggles around his neck, which he shifted with one hand and smiled as he recognized his fellow Returner.

"Good to see you, Tom," Locke smiled, shaking his hand briefly. He turned to introduce his companions one by one. At hearing that the king of Figaro and his brother were present, Tom went pink and bowed very deeply in respect. When introduced to Terra, he took her hand in a friendly manner.

"I'll take you to the sleeping quarters so you can rest and grab a bite to eat before meeting with Banon. He's writing letters at the moment, so when he calls for you all, I'll let you know." With that, Tom motioned for the group to follow him through the Returner's hideout.

Terra, following behind Locke and Edgar, looked around with intrigue at the place. For a hideout inside of a mountain, it seemed to be very homey. It was very large too, with corridors extending deep into the mountains. The girl wondered how far into the caves the hideout went, and hoped that she would not get lost in such a place.

There were gas lanterns fixed into the rock walls at reasonable distances apart, and she noticed that somebody had left candles still burning in their dishes on top of crates here and there. Urns, pots, and the occasional grandfather clock were placed up against the walls.

The flickering light cast by the lamps and candles caused the shadows to bounce on the rock walls as they went by.

Tom led them through what seemed like a dining area which had round tables littered about the room, a large rectangular table, and a bar counter at the back corner. There were a few people seated around the room, some eating, and some drinking from tall glasses.

Down a little hallway and past the restrooms that Tom pointed out, they found themselves in a section of the caves converted into sleeping quarters. There were beds set up in a neat fashion around the open area, and Tom told them that there were private rooms to be had as well if they wished, glancing at the lady of their party.

"Well then, I need to let Banon know of your arrival. I'll be back in a while," Tom nodded to the group before going back the way they came.

"I suppose that I will sleep out here," said Edgar as he picked a bed with quilts folded up at the foot, and sat his travel bag down on it. Sabin followed his brother and chose a bed opposite him and sat down at the edge.

Thinking for a moment, Terra decided to settle herself in one of the empty rooms. She tentatively went up to a door not far from Edgar and Sabin, and knocked a couple of times. Hearing no sounds coming from inside, she opened the door, and felt at ease to find nobody there or anybody's personal items for that matter.

"Aw, alright Terra! I understand that you wouldn't want to hear Ed's snoring much longer, huh?" Sabin gave her a big grin.

"I never noticed much snoring, though," she replied, perplexed, seeing the exasperated look Edgar gave his twin before she shut the door.

"That must have been a joke," she pondered, turning to face her bed in the corner.

* * *

Locke looked around the open area a moment before deciding that he needed to catch up with his fellow Returners.

"I'll be in the dining room, guys!" the thief called over his shoulder as he departed, leaving his rucksack laying near a bed not far off from the twins.

"We'll join you in a bit, Locke," said Sabin loud enough to earn a nod from the man's retreating form.

Edgar laid back into the pillows thankful for the luxury of a real bed instead of grass and rocky soil. He crossed his arms and turned his head to face his younger brother.

"This is certainly an interesting situation we are all involved in, hmm, brother?" said Edgar quietly, fearing that Terra may overhear from her room.

Sabin nodded, "I wonder what Banon will think about all of this."

The king sat up in bed, leaning towards his brother to speak more quietly, "We should concern ourselves with how we will approach the subject of what to do about the Empire. Figaro is definitely going to back the Returners now that the Emperor destroyed our alliance."

"Maybe Narshe will be on our side too. I mean, weren't they raided? That's reason enough in my book!"

"The Elder is stubborn. He does not want to potentially lose money by siding with us. Narshe is the world's biggest supplier of coal, mind you." Sabin bit his lip, agreeing that his brother was right.

"What about Terra? Do we even need to involve her in all of this?" the prince glanced over at her door, as if expecting her to walk out on cue.

"To be honest, we could greatly benefit from her magic, and her knowledge of the Empire. She has been remembering more and more lately," Edgar paused, his eyes flitting to her door too, before continuing. "It is purely her decision on that matter. If she wants to help, I will do everything in my power to keep her safe."

"Heheh, she would be the safest girl in the world with you and Locke protecting her!" Sabin laughed, making his brother laugh a little too.

"I keep wondering if she will leave…" Sabin started, looking worried. Edgar nodded, knowing that it was a good possibility. Before they could continue their conversation, Terra came out of her room, sporting a fresh pair of rose colored stockings. Her hair was damp, probably from trying to wash some dirt and oil out of it.

She stopped at their beds, hands folded over each other, "What do you think the Returners have prepared for dinner tonight?" Her mention of food made the brothers realize how hungry they were.

"I'm not sure, but there's only one way to find out!" Sabin hopped out of bed and waited for Edgar to heave himself up too.

* * *

In the dining room, Locke seated himself at the bar counter next to a fellow in garb purchased in South Figaro.

The bar tender asked what Locke's order was, and the thief replied, "Whatever's hot and fresh! I'm sure that Cath's cooking is as good as ever." The bar keep grinned and went back to the kitchens to tell the cook what to prepare.

"He's new, where'd you guys find him at?" Locke asked his companion.

"Banon met him down in Nikeah last year, and the guy finally decided to take him up on the offer of coming to the hideout. His name is Torsten," the Returner explained, tugging at his buttoned collar.

"Gosh, I can never get used to these damn high collars," he unbuttoned it for some relief finally.

"You're the one who wanted an intelligence job, Arcell. You really shouldn't complain." Torsten agreed with Locke as he scrubbed glasses and silverware in the sink.

The cook, Cath, came out of the kitchens with a tray that had a bread roll, a big bowl of stew, and a steaming mug of coffee.

"Thanks a lot!" Locke smiled before ripping his roll apart to dip in the stew. Arcell stole a piece of his bread and took a bite out of it. Locke ate for a few moments, wolfing down part of his stew before he turned to face Arcell.

"Why aren't you still in South Figaro? I thought you were stationed there for a few more months." Locke took a sip of his coffee.

Arcell scratched at his dark brown hair, "I finished my job early. That's all there is to it. Banon was pleased that I rooted out the info so quickly and wanted me to come back before anything happens. Says I'm too important to keep in town like that."

"What did you find out?" Locke brought another spoonful of the stew to his mouth and blew on it, and once he deemed it sufficiently cool enough, in his mouth it went.

"That rich guy, Straud, has been leaking information to the Imperial troops. I intercepted one of his messages and found out that the Empire has promised him fifty thousand gil, too," he cast his blue eyes at Locke, thinking a moment about whether he should steal a bit more of his stew, or if he should get his own.

"So it's definitely going to happen, then. The invasion?" Locke grumbled, gripping his spoon tightly.

"It's as good as happened. Luckily, Mister-Wannabe-Aristocrat hasn't turned the population against the king. He tried though." Arcell laughed, taking a chug of his drink. Locke laughed along with him, remembering how uncharismatic Straud was. Arcell was always good at making Locke laugh and distance himself from a situation. With the sort of work they did for the Returners, they needed something to laugh about.

Torsten, having finished up the dishes, came over to them and leaned on the opposite side of the counter. "How's that stew treating you, boy?" he asked gruffly, smoothing his bushy beard.

"It's very good, thanks. Very savory," the thief replied, giving the bar keeper a grin. Torsten went into the kitchens to put the clean dishes away.

He continued eating, and gave Arcell a playful glare when he stole another piece of bread from his plate.

"That girl has an interesting hair color…" Arcell said, chewing his bread thoughtfully.

"Oh, you saw her when we came in?"

"Yep. Henley wasn't kidding with that detail, was he? I kept expecting her hair to be either much lighter or much darker."

"Nope, he certainly wasn't. She's a good kid, don't worry about her," Locke reassured sincerely. Arcell nodded, giving his friend a grin.

"I wasn't worried about her. You wouldn't have brought her here if she wasn't trustworthy."

The two Returners went quiet after Arcell asked for a bowl of stew and some bread, and they both ate contentedly. Locke sometimes prided himself on his own cooking abilities, but when compared to Cath's superior skills with meats and vegetables, he knew who the better cook was.

Soon, Edgar, Terra, and Sabin entered the dining area, all eager to fill their stomachs. They greeted Locke happily, taking seats at one of the round tables near the counter. Torsten took their requests, and came back to them with a tray of drinks while Cath prepared their meals.

Locke introduced his friends to Arcell, who shook hands with each of them. He gave Terra a wink when he released her hand, making her confused for a moment.

She and Edgar drank their tea, careful not to burn their mouths, while Sabin took a long drink from his tall glass. Edgar looked a little out of place with his erect back and the way he held his cup, which amused Sabin to no end once Terra mentioned it.

Terra listened vaguely to Sabin talking about how he has never had beer like that before and examined the room slowly, taking in every detail so she could remember it well. She particularly liked how the lamps and candles gave the room a warm, soft ambiance, which made the rock walls appear earthier.

The cook came out of the kitchens with a big tray of their food, introduced herself, and expressed her wishes that they would find the stew tasty. Cath gave Terra a kind smile as she excused herself back to the kitchen.

Locke had already finished his food, and chatted with everybody from his place at the counter as they ate. Terra enjoyed her stew very much, and especially liked the chunks of beef in it, so she saved those and the potatoes for last.

Tom walked into the dining room from a set of stone stairs to the left that Terra had not noticed before, and said, "Once you all are finished eating, Banon is ready to receive you. He's in his study. You should know where that is, Locke."

The thief nodded to this, and Tom left, saying that he had to help keep watch outside that evening.

"I'd better go join him. You can never have too many guys on look out!" said Arcell, standing up and stretching his back out. He excused himself, and as he was leaving, he gave Terra another wink that she was not sure if anybody else had seen.

The prince gobbled his food down first, though, surprisingly, his table manners were not what one would expect of a "mountain man."

"Wow, little brother, not a crumb out of place? I suppose that Master Duncan made you use your dinner etiquette quite often." Edgar smirked, amused at the defiant look his twin gave him before gulping down the last of his beer.

"I'll have you know Edgar, that I still remember our training from our boyhood! It's just that when I get hungry, I don't want to waste anything at all…" the prince mumbled, looking away in the direction of the bar where the stores of drinks were hidden.

The king laughed, grabbing and squeezing Sabin's large shoulder.

"Are you guys finished eating?" Locke inquired, trying to keep from seeming like he was rushing them. He drank some more of his coffee to show that he was not trying to be rude.

"I'm full now," said Terra, pushing her empty bowl away carefully. Edgar nodded at the thief and offered to take Terra's dishes up for her.

"Oh, I can do it, it's no trouble," she tried replying, but the king had already cleared everything away neatly while she was getting up from her chair to help.

"Worry not, my dear! If you wish to help, then you can get Sabin on his feet. We need to go have our meeting with Banon now. That man surely would not want to speak with us in here," Edgar sat the pile of dishes on the bar counter gently.

Locke got up and went over to the table, waiting for everybody to be ready, and then the thief led them out of the dining room. The group went up the little set of stone stairs that Tom had come from and followed a narrow passage that was illuminated with gas lamps on either side. They passed many little adjoining hallways before they came at last to a wooden door at the end of the passage.

The thief knocked on the door twice and a deep voice from inside welcomed them to come in.

Terra followed in behind the twins, scanning the room briefly, seeing the several bookcases, the floor lamp, thick candles lit on the coffee table, and finally, she saw who must be Banon, still seated at his writing desk, trimming the wick in his lamp.

"Hey there Banon," Locke walked up to him slowly. Banon did not even glance at him, and replied once he was finished adjusting the light.

"Took you long enough." Banon said is a gruff voice.

Locke cocked his head to the side, "What do ya mean? I got here pretty quickly if you ask me!"

"I didn't ask, boy!" Banon laughed, holding his belly. "I bet you got caught up poking around the king's treasure rooms again!"

Locke's face went pale, "No! I haven't done that in awhile…"

Edgar went up to Locke's side then, and grabbed the thief's shoulder and leaned in close, "My excavation relics better be right where I left them, Lockey."

"They are! Gods!" Locke pulled away, pouting.

"Anyways, you should have gotten here quicker!" said Banon. "We've got a lot on our plates right now, and you being late doesn't help anybody."

He turned to face Locke, his dark eyes glistening, "What kept you?"

"We had a bit of trouble with Kefka, so we had to walk all the way here. If that damn lapdog didn't show up, we could've hitched a ride on one of the coal trains through the mountains." Locke shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, "Edgar came with us though, and I thought you'd like that."

Banon looked at Edgar then while running his fingers through his brown beard.

"Yep. You're a Figaro alright. Definitely not an imposter. It's good that we finally get to meet in person instead of having Mister Treasure Hunter over here being the messenger." The man chuckled, grinning wide at Edgar, putting out a hand for him to shake. Edgar took his hand and shook it good naturedly, thanking him for allowing them to stay in the hideout.

Banon's eyes shot over to Sabin off to the side, and he started laughing hard.

"Gods! You look like Edgar inflated! You must be his brother; you look like a Figaro too! Geez, what are they feeding you?"

Sabin started laughing too, "Well, I think I'm up to eating sheep whole now!"

Banon gave a last hearty chuckle, and walked up to Terra, who stood back from the group. She met his eyes for a moment, before moving her gaze down to the rug under their feet.

"Damn, her hair really is green. And it's not that dyed green like in Jidoor either," the man murmured, looking her over. Terra's stomach flipped upon hearing his comment, so she continued looking at the patterns on the rug. She wondered why his comment made her feel that way in the back of her mind. Locke came up to Terra's side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Terra felt a bit of relief from his casual touch, and ventured a look back at Banon's face.

"My name is Terra," she said softly, glancing away to see Edgar and Sabin watching the exchange.

"And I'm Banon. Good to meet you, girl," Banon stuck his hand out for her, and she took it gently.

"Is it true that you can use magic?" he asked, and Terra felt Locke's hand tighten on her arm.

"Yes, I can."

"Can I see a little?" Banon's eyes were intense then, eager to see the power that he had heard so much about.

"Banon! Sheesh, what a thing to ask!" Locke cried, pulling Terra away from the man some.

"It's okay, Locke," said Terra. She held her hand up and within seconds a small ball of fire was flickering in her palm.

"I think I understand now…" Banon said under his breath, furrowing his eyebrows as Terra let the flame go out.

"Understand what, Banon?" Edgar asked, coming closer, with Sabin following.

A smile pulled at his lips beneath the moustache, "I understand why the Empire would want to control such a young woman. If she can conjure up a fire without an incantation like the ones the ancient mages used, then imagine what else she can do!"

Locke's grip on Terra's arm got even tighter, making her wince, "Locke, stop squeezing me so hard."

"Do you remember what you did to those soldiers in Vector?" Banon asked, looking directly at Terra now.

"Please do not bring that up!" Edgar interjected, moving himself so that he was standing in front of Terra and Locke, blocking their view of Banon. Terra felt a memory pressing forward in her mind, but she shook her head to distort it away. The thief gave her a concerned look and finally softened his hold on her.

"There's a reason why the esper in Narshe reacted to her. You can't protect her from what she's done," said the bearded man sternly. Banon walked back to his writing desk and sat down.

"Look, let's discuss everything in the morning," Banon looked to his clock on the desk. "It's getting late. I'm sure you all are tired from your travels."

Sabin slipped out the door after bidding Banon a good night, and waited for his brother in the hall.

"Good night then, Banon," Edgar gave him a nod before ushering Locke and Terra out the door gently.

Locke led them all back down to the sleeping quarters quickly, and followed after Terra when she went into her room.

"Do you need to talk about something?" she asked, watching him curiously as he dropped down into the chair next to the dresser. She sat down on her bed, pulled her boots off, and arranged them next to her travel bag.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're okay," he said fast, the words rushing out in one breath.

Terra shifted on the bed, biting her lip. Her heart was still beating quickly in her chest, and that memory would not leave her alone, especially after how Edgar reacted.

"I do remember. It's strange though, because it doesn't feel like I'm the one doing those things. It's like I'm watching from above."

The thief still looked apprehensive, "I'm sorry about how Banon acted. Sometimes, it feels like he forgets that people have feelings."

"He was curious, that's all."

"I guess. Well, you want me to wake you up for breakfast in the morning?" Locke stood up, giving her a weak smile. She figured that he was still worried.

"Yeah, that would be nice," she replied, smiling back briefly. With that, Locke bid her a good night and left her room.

Terra peeled her stockings off and folded them up neatly. She sat them on top of her bag and went to blow her lamp out.

She crept back into bed and buried herself underneath the covers, creating a sort of cocoon around herself. Terra wondered how Banon and Edgar knew of what she had done back in Vector, and hoped that she could find out from Locke in the morning.

* * *

**A/N: I know that this chapter was shorter than the others so far, but do not fret! The next chapter will be very long. I hope that this chapter was a good read! Thank you for reading! **


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